The country of Australia has gotten very strict when it comes to their vaccination laws for children. The government has created a penalty that requires parents to get their children vaccinated or face harsh penalties.
In the last few years, there have been many different reasons why parents are not having their children vaccinated. Religious beliefs and personal belief exemptions are why these parents state their children do not get vaccinated; plus, parents believe that the vaccinations are just too risky. However, these parents are soon going to find out their options are running out. The government in Australia is aggressively seeking legislation to deny childcare benefits to parents who refuse vaccinations for their children.
Approximately $11,400 per child will be taken out of the pockets of parents if they do not vaccinate their children according to the Australian government. This is a huge finanical hit for a family to endure for refusing vaccinations. The government is hoping this financial disincentive will make parents get their kids vaccinated regardless of personal or religious beliefs. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had this to say in regards to the “no jab, no pay” policy from the Australian government.: “It’s a very important public health announcement. It’s a very important measure to keep our children and families as safe as possible.”
The government in Australia is very firm about their decision and is making sure to financially hit parents hard if they do not get vaccinations. There is the potential this financial hit could end up being up to $15,000 per child, which means one child could miss out on all of these government benefits from one single decision. The last election provided a new policy that would not allow parents to refuse vaccinations for their kids, but still expect to receive child care payments and all of the family tax-benefit supplements.
If a family with two children refuses vaccinations, they can expect to have their $200 a week childcare benefit eliminated. This family can also expect their $7,500 a year childcare rebate or their $726 Family Tax Benefit A annual supplement to be gone as well. Therefore, this family with two children could end up with a $30,000 loss in total government assistance.
The parents in Australia are going to have to make a decision soon about whether or not their children are going to be vaccinated or deal with financial hardship for their consequences. It’s a difficult decision, but it’s a crucial move that needs to be made in the best interest of the children.