NSW passes childcare vaccination law

The heads of childcare centres who fail to comply with NSW legislation banning unvaccinated children from their facilities could be fined $5500 from 2018.

Unvaccinated children will be banned from NSW childcare facilities from January after state parliament passed legislation.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wrote to state and territory leaders in March requesting a uniform approach.

The NSW legislation, which passed on Wednesday night and scraps the "conscientious objector" option, means directors of childcare centres will face a fine up to $5500 if they break the rules.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard says the majority of the NSW community has achieved "outstanding" vaccination rates.

"However, all it takes is one unvaccinated child and dozens of others could be put at risk of serious illness," he said in a statement on Thursday.

"We are being very clear that choices of conscientious objectors, which are not evidence-based, will no longer be allowed to impact other families."

The rules will not apply to children on a recognised catch-up vaccination schedule and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

Figures released in June revealed the NSW north coast's vaccination rate trailed the rest of the nation.

There, 1867 children aged five or under were not fully immunised, compared with 721 children in western NSW and 481 in Murrumbidgee in the state's southwest, according to 2015/16 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data.

The federal government is also ramping up its "no jab, no pay" policy, with legislation introduced to parliament on Thursday to dock welfare payments by $28 a fortnight for parents whose children do not meet immunisation rules.


Share
Published 14 September 2017 2:46pm
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world