The Australian government has announced new measures aimed at curbing the growing number of people who refuse to vaccinate their children.
Parents who are anti-vaccination will be denied government payments of up to AU$15,000 (€10,860) a child under proposed law changes announced on Sunday by prime minister Tony Abbott.
Currently, families with children who are not immunised can still get annual childcare rebates and tax benefits if they have a personal, philosophical or religious objection to vaccination.
But the new regulations, which will become law on January 1st, 2016, will allow only a small number of religious and medical exceptions.
“This is essentially a ‘no jab, no pay’ policy from this government,” Mr Abbott said.
“It’s a very important public health announcement, it’s a very important measure to keep our children and our families as safe as possible.”
Religious exemption
Social services minister
Scott Morrison
said those seeking a religious exemption would need to be affiliated with a named church or organisation. Its governing body would have to formally register an objection, which would then need to be approved by the government.
“That’s the only basis upon which you can have a religious exception, and there are no mainstream religions that have such objections registered so this would apply to a very, very small proportion of people,” he said.
Mr Morrison said while it was up to families whether they chose to vaccinate their children, “it is government policy supported by the best possible health advice and research that they should do so.
“However, if families choose not to follow that approach, then that choice does not entitle those families to gain access to taxpayer-funded benefits, especially where it would involve their children being placed together with children from families who have been immunised.’’
The new law is guaranteed to pass through both houses of parliament as the opposition Labor Party is offering bipartisan support to end the “conscientious objection” loophole.
Science
“We believe fundamentally in the science of vaccinations and we fundamentally believe that policy should be made by the best evidence and the best science,” Labor leader Bill Shorten said.
Australia has vaccination rates of more than 90 per cent for children aged one to five, but more than 39,000 children under seven have not been vaccinated because of their parents’ objections, an increase of more than 24,000 since 2005.
