Australia is stepping up efforts to ensure the highest standards of safety and quality in digital healthcare, with the creation of a new national oversight body, according to the official website of the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA).
The newly formed National Clinical Governance Committee for Digital Health (NCGC-DH) will help guide the country’s approach to emerging technologies, including virtual care, telehealth, and artificial intelligence in healthcare.
ADHA Chief Executive Amanda Cattermole said the launch of the committee marks a major milestone in strengthening safety, quality, and continuous improvement across Australia’s digital health system.
“By bringing together leading voices from across the health sector, we are prioritizing that the future of digital health is clinically safe, effective, and centered on the needs of all Australians,” she said. She added that the committee will play a key role in advising government and shaping policy as digital technologies continue to evolve.
The committee will be chaired by ADHA Chief Clinical Adviser Dr. Amandeep Hansra, who emphasized the importance of broad collaboration.
“Our focus is providing advice to government that is drawn from a collaborative ecosystem to ensure the benefits of digital innovation are delivered with clinical safety and quality as the guiding principle,”
she said.
The NCGC-DH will be supported by expert advisory groups bringing together clinicians, consumers, industry representatives, technology specialists, and government agencies, including the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
These groups will focus on three priority areas: improving safe and timely access to health information through My Health Record, addressing patient safety and quality in virtual care and telehealth, and supporting the safe implementation of AI in healthcare settings.
ADHA Chief Program Officer Paul Creech said the leadership of the advisory groups reflects a strong commitment to robust clinical governance. He noted that key figures from across Australia’s health and digital sectors will lead the groups focused on information sharing, virtual care, and AI-enabled healthcare.
He added that the committee’s work will help guide how digital health policies—such as “share by default,” standards, and system conformance—are applied to support healthcare workers, reduce administrative burden, and build a safer, more sustainable health system.
According to the agency, the new committee expands on existing internal advisory structures and will play a broader role across the national digital health ecosystem.