More than 140,000 families have been cut off from receiving childcare benefits for failing to vaccinate their children.
The first figures from the Federal Government’s “No jab, no pay” policy show parents in Adelaide city and the Gold Coast Hinterland were most likely to not vaccinate their children.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt told TODAY this morning the controversial policy had seen a lift of 200,000 more children being vaccinated.
“That’s good news but there is more to do so we’re going to keep pushing hard,” Mr Hunt said.
“It’s a tough policy because this is about public health and the safety of our beautiful kids.”
The policy, introduced in January 2016, states that 'conscientiously objecting' to vaccinations on non-medical grounds is not a valid exemption.
Parents of an estimated 142,793 children under the age of five were cut off from up to $15,000 in taxpayer-funded child care payments under the policy.
The average immunisation rate across Australia is 92.2 percent.
In Sydney, the suburbs in the north, inner west and east recorded some of the highest rates of unvaccinated children.
Sydney's eastern suburbs recorded child vaccination rates lower than Australia's average, with only 88.9 per cent of five-year-olds vaccinated for diseases including whooping cough, measles and hepatitis.
Read more at More than 140,000 families cut off from childcare payments for not vaccinating their kids - 9news.com.au
The first figures from the Federal Government’s “No jab, no pay” policy show parents in Adelaide city and the Gold Coast Hinterland were most likely to not vaccinate their children.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt told TODAY this morning the controversial policy had seen a lift of 200,000 more children being vaccinated.
“That’s good news but there is more to do so we’re going to keep pushing hard,” Mr Hunt said.
“It’s a tough policy because this is about public health and the safety of our beautiful kids.”
The policy, introduced in January 2016, states that 'conscientiously objecting' to vaccinations on non-medical grounds is not a valid exemption.
Parents of an estimated 142,793 children under the age of five were cut off from up to $15,000 in taxpayer-funded child care payments under the policy.
The average immunisation rate across Australia is 92.2 percent.
In Sydney, the suburbs in the north, inner west and east recorded some of the highest rates of unvaccinated children.
Sydney's eastern suburbs recorded child vaccination rates lower than Australia's average, with only 88.9 per cent of five-year-olds vaccinated for diseases including whooping cough, measles and hepatitis.
Read more at More than 140,000 families cut off from childcare payments for not vaccinating their kids - 9news.com.au
