Unvaccinated kids could be banned from childcare, daycare nationwide
Unvaccinated children could be banned from all childcare centres and playschools under a tough new plan being pushed by the Prime Minister.
It’s been revealed Malcolm Turnbull has written to state and territory leaders requesting nationally consistent laws.
The Sunday Telegraph reports the Prime Minister will take the proposal to the next Council of Australian Governments meeting.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government's "no jab, no pay" policy of withholding family payments to parents of unvaccinated children would be reinforced by the new "no jab, no play" policy.
"We want to work with all of the states and I'm very confident that they'll come on board," he said.
"Ultimately it's about protecting kids against horrendous illnesses that are agonising and potentially in some cases tragic."
Under the proposal, the immunisation rates of preschools and daycare centres would be made publicly available.
Mr Turnbull told the paper this was information parents deserved to have.
“All of us desperately want to protect our children and our grandchildren and other people’s children too,” he said.
“If you don’t vaccinate your child you are not just putting their own life at risk, but you are putting everyone else’s children at risk.”
A loophole allowing formal objections would also be closed.
Currently children can be exempted on medical or religious grounds.
The move comes after some states began introducing similar laws from 2014.
While New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland insist on vaccinations before preschool and daycare enrolments, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania the ACT and the Northern Territory have no such requirements.
Labor MP Mark Butler told the ABC the Opposition was ready to work with the government on the push.
"The AMA says that next to clean water, this is probably the most important public health measure that a country can have," Mr Butler said.
The Prime Minister's plan comes after One Nation leader Pauline Hanson was forced to apologise when she stirred up a storm by appearing to push an anti-vaccination stance.
Ms Hanson defended her statements as a “personal opinion” after they were branded crazy by health experts. She later claimed she never told parents not to vaccinate.
"I'm not saying to people don't get your children vaccinated," she told 6PR radio.
"If that's what the doctor tells them - that they need to have the vaccination done - that's up to the person. Go and talk to your doctor."
Ms Hanson had earlier suggested parents should have their children tested for vaccine allergies but later conceded she was wrong to suggest such a test existed.
In backing away from the statement, she said her own children had been vaccinated.
Newsbreak – March 12
