Laura Primiero's daughter Zara was seven months old when she caught rubella. Picture: Brendan Francis Source: News Corp Australia
PARENTS who refuse to vaccinate their kids will be denied up to $15,000 a year in childcare rebates and welfare under tough new rules to be introduced by the Federal Government.
The new rules, which have bipartisan support, will close a controversial 'conscientious objector' loophole to ensure protection for all children.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Social Services Minister Scott Morrison will today announce the historic reforms, which mean parents who fail to immunise their children will no longer be paid the $200-a-week childcare benefit, the $7,500-a-year childcare rebate or the $726 Family Tax Benefit A annual supplement.
The combined childcare and welfare payments at risk could amount to up to $30,000-a-year for a family with two young children. The changes will come into effect from January 1, 2016.
Australia has childhood vaccination rates over 90 per cent for under 5s, but the number of vaccine refusers is also steadily rising.
"Parents who vaccinate their children should have confidence that they can take their children to child care without the fear that their children will be at risk of contracting a serious or potentially life-threatening illness because of the conscientious objections of others,'' Mr Abbott said.
Parents who shun vaccinations could now miss out on rebates. Picture: iStock Source: Supplied
"This means that vaccine objectors will not be able to access these government payments.''
The change comes after the Sunday Herald Sun's "Our No Jab, No Play" campaign, which demanded that children must be vaccinated to attend childcare.
Currently, immunisation is already a requirement to access childcare payments and the FTB supplement. But all parents have to do to dodge the requirements is sign a form confirming they have discussed immunisation with a GP and have a "personal philosophical, religious'' reason not to vaccinate.
As a result, the number the number of vaccine refusers denying children life saving medicines is rising in Australia, with 39,000 children under the age of 7 not vaccinated. The shocking figure represents an increase of 24,000 children over the last decade.
Existing exemptions on medical or religious grounds will continue, but Mr Morrison said that would only exist where the parent was affiliated with the religious group and the governing body had formally registered objection approved by the Government.
"It is up to families whether they choose to vaccinate their children and it is Government policy supported by the best possible health advice and research that they should do so,'' Mr Morrison said.
"However if families choose not to follow that approach, that choice does not entitle those families to gain access to taxpayer funded benefits, especially where it would involve their children being placed to together with children from families who have been immunised.''
Labor leader Bill Shorten is also offering bipartisan support for tougher provisions, writing to the Prime Minister on Friday urging him to close the conscientious objector loophole. His support is vital because the changes will require Senate support to become law.
"The science is settled, the experts agree and strengthening these requirements is a common sense measure that will benefit all children,'' Mr Shorten said.
"Unless a parent has a deeply held religious view, there should be no exceptions to the community expectation that children are immunised.''
Currently, to meet the immunisation requirements for the Family Tax Benefit Part A supplement you need to have your children immunised during the financial years that each child turns 1, 2 and 5 years old.
This means that parents have up to $2,100-a-year at risk over the three key vaccination checks. However, the no jab, no play reforms to be announced today go further, applying to all young children beyond 12 months. This means children would miss out on the $728 supplement every year they are not vaccinated.
Only children under the age of 12 months will be excluded from the new, 'No Jab, No Pay' reforms. The immunisation requirement does not apply to fortnightly FTB A payments but only the $728-a-year supplement.
For the childcare rebate, the reform means parents could miss out on up to $7,500 per child each year. Parents who fail to immunise their children will also be ineligible for the Family Tax Benefit Part A end of year supplement worth $728 a year. Parents could also be denied up to $6,100 in childcare benefit payments based on a child in childcare three days a week.
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