No Vaccinations Means No Child Care Enrolment Under Opposition Bill

Media Release.

Child care centres will be able to refuse enrolment to children who are not fully immunised under a Bill to be introduced into Queensland Parliament today by the State Opposition.

Shadow Health Minister Jo-Ann Miller said the Public Health (Exclusion of Unvaccinated Children from Child Care) Amendment Bill was designed to give both children enrolled at child care centres and the staff who look after them protection from preventable infectious disease.

Mrs Miller said the amendment to the Public Health Act offered an important power to safeguard children whose parents were doing the right thing and keeping their kids vaccinated.

“This is not about punishing parents – it’s about giving staff a legally binding right to protect themselves and other children,” Mrs Miller said.

“It allows for certified exemptions on medical grounds."

“And it takes into account those parents who may have simply forgotten to get their kids vaccinated, offering child care centres the option of giving those parents the information they need to seek vaccinations."

“But there are those irresponsible parents who choose not to fully immunise their children – and by doing that they put other kids and staff at these child care centres at risk."

“And that is an unnecessary risk.”

Mrs Miller said the recently published report by the National Health Performance Authority found 70,000 Australian children are not fully immunised at one year, two years and five years.

She said the report had identified the Sunshine Coast region as the area of Queensland with the lowest compliance with the National Immunisation Schedule.

“There’s been a significant community backlash across Queensland about risks to healthy immunised children by families which don’t vaccinate their kids."

“There’s also been a gross exaggeration of the risks associated with vaccination – an attitude that is simply ill-informed."

“We will be seeking bipartisan support in the Parliament because surely every MP will see that the safest option is to vaccinate your children."

“And if you do not, you shouldn’t be putting other children and staff at risk of disease.”