Dr Andrew (Andy) Robertson has been on AMMA Council since 1996 and, in 2000, was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health. He is the Chief Health Officer and Assistant Director General within the Public and Aboriginal Health Division in the Western Australia Department of Health, having previously been Deputy Chief Health Officer and Director, Disaster Management from February 2008 until June 2018. With specialist qualifications in Public Health Medicine and Medical Administration, and sub-specialty training in Underwater Medicine, Disaster Medicine and Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) Defence, he served with the RAN from 1984 until 2003 — including three tours to Iraq as a Biological Weapons Chief Inspector with the United Nations Special Commission in 1996 and 1997, and sea-postings on HMAS Canberra, Sydney and Parramatta. He was promoted to Commodore in July 2015 and served as Director General Navy Health Reserves until December 2019.
In October 2003 he took up the position of Director, Disaster Preparedness and Management in WA Health. He led the Australian Medical Relief team into the Maldives after the 2004 tsunami, managed WA Health’s response to the 2005 Bali Bombing, led the WA Health team into Indonesia after the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquakes, worked as Radiation Health Adviser to the Australian Embassy after the 2011 Fukushima incident, and conducted the AUSMAT needs assessment in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake. Since 2008 he has coordinated WA Health responses to Cyclone George, the Varanus Island gas explosion, the Ashmore Reef incident, the H1N1 2009 pandemic, the 2011 CHOGM meeting and the 2015 Ebola preparations, and has led the WA Health response to COVID-19 since June 2018.
