“Know your rights! Vaccination is not
compulsory in Australia,” screamed the anti-vaccination activist.
The desperate shout of the minority was
quickly counteracted by arguments bolstered by statistics, scientific evidence, and logical
deductions based on historical facts, tracing back centuries ago, “Stop
over-intellectualizing the risk to your kid. Think of the community!”
Then the government stepped in, toughened
the existing laws on vaccination, and imposed certain punitive measures on the
non-vaccinated group.
The move caused an outcry amongst the
vaccination opponents. They called the government a bully, the evil Voldemort
that contributed to the erosion of health freedom, the fascist that took away
the basic human rights of a parent. They cited proofs of link between
vaccination and autism, contended that risks of serious complications and
severe allergic reactions must not be ignored.
The pro-vaccination movement disagreed,
dubbing the autism controversy as nothing but a media hoax. Risk of health
complications is extremely rare. The benefits of vaccination far outweigh the
hypothetical adverse effects of a jab.
And so the debates continue emotionally,
passionately and fervently.
According to the Health Department data,
Victoria has one of the highest immunization rates in Australia. Surprisingly
however, many affluent Melbourne’s suburbs are amongst those with the lowest
immunization rates in the state, and that include South Yarra, Toorak,
Brighton, Prahran and St Kilda.
So what are the consequences if your kid is
not vaccinated in Victoria?
1. No
Jab No Play (Victoria)
Effective from 1 January 2016, save for
certain medical exemptions and special circumstances, unvaccinated children are
prohibited from enrolling in a Victorian childcare centre.
The punitive approach by the Victorian
government is controversial. Some contend that such move has instigated the
setting up of illegal kindergartens in the state of Victoria, and forcing the
anti-movement groups to have no choice but to put their children at risk with
the untrained childcare providers.
2. No
Jab No Pay (Commonwealth)
Under the new federal law commencing 1
January 2016, parents who do not fully immunize their children will lose the
eligibility for Child Care Benefit, Child Care Rebate and tax refund for low-income
families, subject to certain medical exemptions. The Commonwealth government
also scraps away the exemption of conscientious objection on non-medical
ground. In other words, a parent’s specific moral, religion or philosophical
belief will no longer be a good reason to dodge a jab.
This financial aid withdrawal measure, too, has
generated a myriad of contentions amongst the different movements. Many argue that the law is discriminatory in nature, and would severely prejudice the
disadvantageous and vulnerable families in Australia.
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| The VaxOnTime app by the Victoria State Government- a screenshot from my phone |
There is of course a third group
of parents that we must not overlooked, i.e. those that simply could not keep
up with the complicated vaccination schedule. The Victorian government has
developed a new app that assists the busy parents to keep track of the dates of
vaccination; a smartphone app that will remind parents of the vaccination dates
with a due-date notification. Find out more about the VaxOnTime app from here:
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