Children who have not been vaccinated will be banned from child care in NSW following the introduction of tough new laws this week.
And centres will be fined up to $4000 if a child in their care does not have a record of immunisation.
State Health Minister Jillian Skinner amended the Public Health Act on Tuesday to accommodate the changes. Child care centres must now register each child’s records and will have the power to turn away those who aren’t up to date with their vaccinations.
Parents who object to the vaccinations for philosophical, religious or medical reasons must provide evidence for their reasons in order to be exempted.
“If there is any child with their forms missing, they will immediately be excluded and the child care operator could be fined up to $4000,” Ms Skinner told Parliament.
“This is not optional. A child care centre may not enrol a child unless they are vaccinated or have an exemption form.”
The new laws come after a report found that tens of thousands of children were not vaccinated or were behind in their vaccinations, with concerns for a potentially deadly disease outbreak that could even affect immunised children.
While some parents choose not to immunise their children, the majority simply forget to follow up.
Parents who chose not to immunise their child will have to provide a certificate from their GP or an immunisation nurse after undergoing compulsory counselling.
On Sunday, Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek launched a new booklet for parents, GPs and other health providers detailing the latest research on vaccination and dispelling many of the myths.
Have your say on the new vaccination laws below.
