The Abbott government’s tough new stance on immunisation will only increase vaccination rates by an “absolute maximum of one per cent,” a Sydney immunisation expert says.
University of Sydney associate professor Julie Leask said the federal government’s move to prevent parents who don’t vaccinate their children from accessing childcare payments and family tax benefits would not have a “meaningful” impact on overall immunisation rates.
Professor Leask said about 2 per cent of parents were currently registered as conscientious objectors to immunisation and of those, half were “hard core” while the other half would still give their children some vaccines.
She said that the hard core group would not be moved by the new policy, with only those who were partial objectors potentially open to changing their view.
Professor Leask said that there was a much larger group of parents – of about 4 or 5 per cent – who did not vaccinate their children or keep them updated for practical or logistical reasons.
“They’re already targeted by the current policy [setting],” she said.
Professor Leask said the government should focus on removing “practical barriers to immunisation”, such as a better reminder system for parents, more flexible clinic hours and a focus on culturally respectful health services. She said a particular focus should be on refugee and migrant catch-up services.
A postcode analysis of immunisation levels also raised questions about the impact of the new vaccination policy, which would restrict some means-tested payments.
Data from the National Health Performance Authority showed that as of 2012-13, affluent areas, where families may not qualify for government payments, had some of the lowest percentages of children under five who were fully immunised. These areas included Annandale, Manly, Paddington, Killara and Neutral Bay in Sydney and South Yarra in Melbourne
Social Services Minister Scott Morrison said it was estimated that about 14,000 out of the 39,000 children who had not met immunisation requirements would be “impacted by the announced changes”.
A spokesman for pro-vaccination group Stop the AVN, John Cunningham, praised the government’s weekend announcement as a “bold step forward in public health policy”.
The Melbourne surgeon said it would act to encourage people who had forgotten to vaccinate their children or had fallen behind.
He added it would also prompt the steadfast objectors to “seriously reconsider their decision”.
“It’s a strong clear message that vaccination is a cornerstone pillar of public health in Australia,” he said.
The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance’s head of clinical research, Robert Booy, said parents needed to be engaged with rather than confronted.
“There’s a lot of hesitant people that will be on our side if we treat them well,” Professor Booy said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Mr Morrison announced the new measures to boost vaccination, noting that the rate of objection to immunisation had risen from under one per cent to about 2 per cent over the past decade.
Under the new policy, families with children who are not immunised will only be able to keep receiving childcare payments and Family Tax Benefit Part A if they have religious or medical grounds for objecting.