Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Social Services Legislation Amendment (No Jab, No Pay) Bill 2015. This bill introduces a 2015 budget measure that will ensure children fully meet immunisation requirements before their families can access childcare benefit, childcare rebate or the family tax benefit part A supplement. The commencement date for this measure is 1 January 2016. This builds on important changes to family payments that were made by Labor in government that were designed to lift immunisation rates. We linked the family tax benefit end-of-year supplements to immunisations. Ahead of the 2013 election, Labor committed to further tighten immunisation requirements within the family payments system.

Let me say very clearly, Labor strongly believe in vaccinations. And we are pleased that the government is now taking this initiative. Labor are committed to strengthening immunisation rates so all Australian children have the best chance of growing up strong and healthy. Vaccines are arguably one of the most successful public health policies in human history. The mere fact that we can talk about terrible diseases like polio and smallpox as if they are some artefact of history is a testament to the success of vaccines.

According to the World Health Organization, immunisation averts an estimated 2.5 million child deaths a year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that vaccinations will prevent more than 21 million hospitalisations and more than 730,000 deaths among children born in the last 20 years in the United States alone. Of course, there are risks of side effects in some instances, but the science is very clear. The benefits far outweigh the risks. Vaccines work. It means less disease. It means healthier people in our communities. It means longer life expectancy for our citizens.

Higher rates of immunisations are vital for infant children who are too young to be vaccinated as well as for the elderly and sick who may be too frail to be vaccinated. High rates of immunisations are also vital to people for whom a vaccine may not produce a strong immune response. These vulnerable people in our community are generally protected from preventable diseases by what is called 'herd immunity'. This is where a large vaccinated population protect those who are weak or susceptible to disease. That is why it is so important that we maintain and encourage high rates of immunisation across the country. Just to give one example.

In December 2014, some 117 people caught measles in an outbreak that was traced back to Disney theme parks in Orange County in California. Fortunately, no-one died in the outbreak. But it could have been much worse. Measles is a dangerous and highly contagious disease. According to the World Health Organization in 1980, before widespread vaccination, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year. In 2013, the number of deaths from measles had fallen to around 145,000. The evidence is compelling. Vaccines save lives. Falling immunisations rates increase the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases and threaten the health of the most vulnerable members of our communities. Our responsibility as policymakers is to support policies that are designed to lift immunisation rates in the community.

There are some important exceptions to the No Jab, No Pay policy that I think are worth mentioning and that I hope allay concerns held by some members of the community. I know that many MPs and senators have been contacted by people in the community on this bill. Some people have raised legitimate questions around side effects and for those people I want to detail some of the exceptions that people may be interested in. Exceptions to the policy will apply for valid medial reasons, such as when a general practitioner has certified that vaccinating the child would be medically contra-indicated or that vaccination is unnecessary because the child has natural immunity from having contracted the disease in question.

Families with children participating in an approved vaccine study will be taken to meet the immunisation requirements for the duration of the study and similar rules will apply where a vaccine is temporarily unavailable. The requirements will also be met if a recognised immunisation provider certifies that the child has an equivalent level of immunisation through an overseas vaccination program.

Lastly, the secretary of the department will be able to determine that a child meets the immunisation requirements after considering any decision-making principles set out in a legislative instrument made by the minister. Importantly, immunisation requirements will also be extended to include children of all ages. At present, a child's vaccination status is only checked at ages one, two and five for the family tax benefit part A supplement, and up to age seven for the childcare payments.

Labor welcomes the commitment from religious leaders and organisations to support parents to ensure that children are vaccinated. Labor does think that parents should have the final say in making health decisions about their child but, when it comes to immunisation, Labor believes there is a strong public interest in ensuring children are immunised.

We note that the percentage of children under seven years of age with a conscientious objection recorded on the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register rose from 0.23 per cent in December 1999 to 1.77 per cent in December 2014. Removing non-medical exemptions will make clear the importance of immunisation and protecting public health. I want to emphasise that the choice made by families not to immunise their children is not supported by public policy or medical research. We want to see these changes implemented in a way that increases immunisation rates among vulnerable children and we ask that the government work with the childcare sector to ensure that children are not inadvertently excluded from early education and care.

Labor recognises the important work that Medicare Locals were doing to increase immunisation rates in local communities and welcomes the support to ensure the new Primary Health Network will continue this work. We also know that in many cases missed vaccinations are due to oversight rather than a specific objection. The establishment of a national immunisation register of school based vaccinations will assist all parents to do the right thing by their children. We ask the government work with the childcare sector to ensure children, as I said, are not inadvertently excluded.

We would also like to see a greater emphasis on public awareness campaigns. As our collective memory of disease outbreaks recedes in this country, it is important we remind people of the vital link between immunisations and disease prevention. In particular, we would like to see public awareness campaigns targeted at communities that we know have lower rates of immunisation—so-called refusal clusters. Labor also supports moves to explore a national immunisation register to enable adults to keep their vaccinations up to date.

This policy has been proposed by the family of Riley Hughes, the Perth baby tragically killed by whooping cough in March this year at just 32 days old. Riley's parents, Greg and Catherine Hughes, have urged others to get their children vaccinated. Greg and Catherine have also raised more than $71,000 for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, which is far more than the $32,000 they had hoped to raise. Funds raised will go towards fighting terrible childhood diseases, such as whooping cough. I want to acknowledge tonight Greg and Catherine's brave advocacy.

This bill is not aimed at punishing people or denying people choice. It is all about increasing immunisation rates, preventing disease and, above all, saving lives. I commend the bill to the House.

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