Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition have taken action to ensure that our policies put in place provisions whereby parents who have not immunised their children cannot receive taxpayer support for their child care or, indeed, other payments. But state and territory governments, of course, regulate access to childcare centres and to preschools, and the Prime Minister is now encouraging state premiers and chief ministers to examine ways in which they can strengthen immunisation policies and to build on the success of our No Jab, No Pay policies.

Just over a week ago, the Prime Minister wrote to all state and territory premiers calling on them to address these inconsistencies and to strengthen their requirements where possible. The Prime Minister will raise this matter with state and territory premiers at COAG, because all parents deserve to know if their children are safe, to know that they will be safe when dropping them off at child care. I note and welcome a number of positive reactions since the Prime Minister's announcement, including from some state and territory leaders and, indeed, as most recently as today, the ACT opposition, which is apparently going to push the territory government to strengthen their enrolment policies too. (Time expired)