Australia would have its own centre for disease control under a Labor government

Anthony Albanese says the nation could have been better prepared for Covid-19 if it had a national body to monitor infectious diseases

• Full Australian Covid stats; Covid restrictions state by state
• NSW cases map; Vic cases map
• NSW hotspots list; Qld hotspots list
• Sign up for Guardian Australia's coronavirus email

Labor will use the opening of budget week to commit to establishing an Australian Centre for Disease Control, saying a dedicated body could have avoided some of the underpreparation that was evident at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Australian Medical Association earlier this year urged the Morrison government to set up an Australian national centre for disease control to provide independent advice to governments about the management of pandemics, and ensure a national stockpile of essential equipment was in place for the next crisis.