Australian Communicable Diseases Genomics Network is established

In 2015 the Communicable Diseases Genomics Network (CDGN) was established with an overarching aim of implementing genomics into clinical and public health microbiology in a network of public health laboratories across Australia.

In 2019, the network was formalised as an Expert Reference Panel under the Australian Government Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN), a standing committee under the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC).

CDGN is affiliated with The Doherty Institute who provide government with modelling scenarios, and funding is provided by Department of Health.

Led by The Doherty Institute in 2020, COVID-19 gave rise to fast tracking their framework and their national genomics surveillance platform, AusTrakka. [1, 2]

From June 8, 2020, the PHLN set guidance on PCR tests.