news

Tony Abbott announces a 'No-jab, no-pay' policy for government payments.

No-jab, no-pay means families could miss out on up to $15,000 per year.

Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, and Social Services Minister, Scott Morrison have this morning announced that indicated that parents who do not vaccinate their children may lose up to $15,000 in government benefits.

Abbott and Morrison said that they are scrapping the “conscientious objection” provision that allows parents who do not vaccinate their to still claim benefits such as Family Tax Benefit A, as well as assistance for childcare. A narrow religious objection provision will remain, as will legitimate medical exemptions.

For more: Child care benefits should not be paid to anti-vaxxers.

Minister Morrison said, “we want to make sure that our kids are healthy, that our families are healthy and when you put them into childcare you can have that confidence.”

“The overwhelming advice and position of those in the health profession is, it’s the smart thing and the right thing to vaccinate your children. [If parents don’t,] taxpayers are not going to subsidise that choice for them.”

The Prime Minister said that he hoped that the new policy would garner bi-partisan support from the Opposition, but he was “not taking anything for granted”.

The number of Australian children who have not been vaccinated has more than doubled in the past decade.

Approximately 39,000 parents have signed conscientious objection papers certifying that they are unable to vaccinate their children for “personal, philosophical, religious or medical,” reasons. By scrapping the provision, the government is expected to save $50 million a year.

The laws if passed will come into effect in January.

While these provisions may improve immunisation rates among communities accessing these payments, there are large pockets of poor immunisation rates in affluent areas who may be unaffected by these changes.

 

Tags: