It is a collaboration of three member bodies:

• The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
• The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
• Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy.

Launched in 1990, the Council was formed to lead a national effort to combat the alarming number of deaths from asthma in the 1980s. Since their formation, this figure has fallen significantly with improved management of asthma by health professionals and patients and their carers.

Although asthma remains a serious problem in Australia, the Council continue to rise to the challenge.

The Council's ongoing priorities are to:

• provide up-to-date information on asthma to health professionals to help improve their quality of care
• gather, analyze and share information on asthma
• work with all members of the asthma community, including people with asthma and their carers, health professionals, patient support organisations, the health industry, and government agencies
• continue to inform the standard for best-practice asthma management.