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New national action on immunisation

In a major push to lift immunisation rates in Australia, the Federal Government today announced a radical package of measures which includes linking Maternity Allowance payments to completing immunisation at 18 months of age and linking Child Care Assistance and the home child care allowance to immunisation status.

25 February 1997
MW16/97

New national action on immunisation

In a major push to lift immunisation rates in Australia, the Federal Government today announced a radical package of measures which includes linking Maternity Allowance payments to completing immunisation at 18 months of age and linking Child Care Assistance and the home child care allowance to immunisation status.

The Federal Minister for Health and Family Services, Dr Michael Wooldridge, said the new initiatives were designed to reach the 97 per cent of parents who are in favour of immunisation, but who do not finish the full vaccination regime.

"With such a high rate of acceptance of immunisation, it is appalling that only 53 per cent of Australian children are fully immunised for their age. This leaves all children at risk of contracting vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, whooping cough and German measles," he said.

"Present childhood immunisation rates in Australia are among the worst in western countries and lower than many Third World countries."

Dr Wooldridge said the Federal Government was so concerned about the low rates of childhood immunisation that it had put its full weight behind an ambitious national strategy to significantly improve immunisation compliance.

The groundbreaking measures proposed in Immunise Australia: A Seven Point Plan include:

• Restructuring the Maternity Allowance for parents of new born children to provide a bonus for ensuring that their child's immunisation coverage is complete.

Under this new arrangement, an additional $68 will be provided to parents who immunise their children, taking the current Maternity Allowance from an estimated $882 to $950 per eligible child. However, the Maternity Allowance will now be paid in two installments from 1 January, 1998. The first payment of $750 will be made on the birth of a child and the second payment of $200 when the child turns 18 months of age, but only if the child has been appropriately immunised.

• The linking of the Childcare Assistance and Childcare Cash Rebates to a child's immunisation status.

With this new arrangement, the 100,000 new parents who enrol their child in childcare for the first time will be required to provide appropriate proof of age immunisation in order for these benefits to be paid. This measure will be introduced from 1 January 1998 and will potentially affect about 40 per cent of, or 500,000 children under school age currently in childcare.

Existing recipients of these payments will be subject to the new eligibility requirements from the first review of the rebates in 1998.

Provisions will be made for parents who do not have their children immunised due to medical reasons or conscientious objection.

• The offer of financial incentives to medical practitioners as part of the Better Practice Program to obtain high immunisation levels. In consultation with the profession, it is proposed that GPs ensure 90 per cent coverage of 90 per cent of the children attending the general practice.

"General Practitioners see 93 per cent of children in the 0 to 6 year age group - an average of seven times a year. This places local doctors in a prime position to target parents who are not being reached about immunisation by other means," Dr Wooldridge said.

"One of the key problems in Australia is that no-one is responsible for immunisation. Just leaving this responsibility to parents has resulted in the appalling situation we find today. GPs are the logical people to take responsibility for checking immunisation is up to date," Dr Wooldridge said.

Other components of Immunise Australia: A Seven Point Plan are:

• monitoring immunisation targets from data taken from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register to encourage competition and inspire those municipalities or regions with low rates to improve their community's immunisation coverage. The first data will be released in April 1997 and thereafter released annually. This will detail the immunisation coverage by both State and local Government areas;
• a series of special Immunisation Days in areas of low immunisation coverage which will be supported with a range of educational and public awareness resources. This is based on the idea proposed by the Australian Medical Association and we hope to include doctors and pharmacists in the process;
• a study to explore the feasibility of a nation-wide measles eradication program to be conducted in co-operation with the States and Territories. Mathematical modelling predicts the next measles epidemic in Australia will be in 1999. We hope to undertake a large measles catch up program in 1998 to prevent this epidemic
• education and research initiatives including a communications campaign later this year and the establishment of an Immunisation Research Centre.

"Both the information campaign and the planned social research will be used to address the concerns of some parents who may require more information about possible side effects and risks of vaccination," Dr Wooldridge said.

"These concerns are understandable, legitimate and must be addressed in any comprehensive strategy."

"These initiatives show that the Federal Government is more than playing its part. We expect other levels of government to do likewise."

Dr Wooldridge said he will work with the States and Territories in an attempt to introduce nationally consistent school entry requirements to ensure that parents submit details of their children's immunisation history on enrolment, as well as to allow schools to promote and facilitate immunisation.

"I would expect to see significant improvement in immunisation rates by the end of 1998. If not, I will consider further measures."

"I have no intention of going down in history as a Health Minister who sat on his hands while Australian children die of preventable illnesses."

Media contact:

Vicky Anderson, Dr Wooldridge's Office (06) 277 7220
Lyn Dunlevy, Dept. of Health and Family Services (06) 289 8502