Department of Health

Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008

Key messages

  • The Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 help Victoria achieve a high standard of public health.
  • The Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 came into operation on 14 December 2019.
  • The Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment Act 2022 received Royal Assent on 12 April 2022.

The Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 aim to achieve the highest attainable standard of public health and wellbeing by:

  • protecting public health and preventing disease, illness, injury, disability or premature death
  • promoting conditions in which people can be healthy
  • reducing public health and wellbeing inequalities in Victoria.

The Victorian Parliament recognises that:

  • the state has a significant role in promoting and protecting the public health and wellbeing of people in Victoria.
  • public health and wellbeing include the absence of disease, illness, injury, disability or premature death, and the collective state of public health and wellbeing.
  • public health interventions are one of the ways in which the public health and wellbeing can be improved and inequalities reduced.
  • where appropriate, the state has a role in assisting in responses to public health concerns of national and international significance.

Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment Act 2022

The purpose of the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment Act 2022 is to amend the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 to:

  • provide a statutory immunity for certain officers,
  • change the registration of prescribed accommodation for lower risk prescribed accommodation and include accommodation related to labour hire arrangements,
  • omit references to HIV and Hepatitis C,
  • expand the circumstances in which the Chief Health Officer may make an examination and testing order,
  • expand data collection and further analysis powers,
  • provide for other miscellaneous matters,
  • make consequential amendments to the Livestock Disease Control Act 1994.

Reviewed 11 July 2022

Health.vic

More information

Contact details

Do not email patient notifications.

Communicable Disease Section Department of Health GPO Box 4057, Melbourne, VIC 3000

50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Phone 1300 651 160
Fax 1300 651 170
infectious.diseases@dhhs.vic.gov.au
Notification procedures
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