Bridget Brennan reported this story on Tuesday, April 7, 2015 18:25:00

MARK COLVIN: The Federal Government is planning to change laws so that parents who refuse to vaccinate their children won't be able to claim benefits.



The Social Services Minister Scott Morrison wants to close loopholes which allow parents to claim subsidies while refusing to immunise.



The benefits of vaccination depend on the so-called "herd effect" but there's a growing problem. Health Department figures show the number of children whose parents have opted them out of vaccinations in Australia has more than doubled in a decade.



Bridget Brennan reports.



BRIDGET BRENNAN: In the last 10 years, the number of children whose parents have objected to vaccination has doubled. Almost 40,000 children haven't been vaccinated and have a conscientious objection on their record.



Australian parents claiming family tax benefits and childcare subsidies have to show they've immunised their children, but there are ways to get around those rules if parents have refused vaccination on personal or religious grounds.



Jo Briskey from the advocacy group, The Parenthood.



JO BRISKEY: Even though parents are required to give proof of their child's vaccination records to get access to family payments and childcare subsidies, you can register as a conscientious objector due to philosophical, religious or other means that you disagree with vaccinating your children, and once you register with that, that means there's no need for you to provide any record or anything like that, you still get access to the same support from the Government.



BRIDGET BRENNAN: Social Services Minister Scott Morrison today signalled he'll tighten the exemptions so those parents will miss out on benefits.



SCOTT MORRISON: There are exemptions that currently exist, and those exemptions clearly need to be tightened. But, you know, we've got to think about the health and wellbeing of all the other children that are put at risk, and it's their health that also matters.



And in fact, you know, those parents have taken decisions to immunise their children, and that's obviously the sensible thing to do. We're a free country, and we're for free society, but that doesn't mean you get to take taxpayers' money if you don't want to go along with the rules.



BRIDGET BRENNAN: Jo Briskey believes changes to the law are overdue.



JO BRISKEY: The issue here is about the increasing rates of parents who are choosing not to vaccinate their children, and the impact that that has on the broader community.



BRIDGET BRENNAN: About 91 per cent of five-year-olds in Australia are vaccinated.



But there are pockets where those numbers are much lower. Many of those areas are in Queensland, which has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.



Queensland's chief health officer is Dr Jeanette Young.



JEANETTE YOUNG: We need people to understand that if people don't get vaccinated, these diseases will return, as they have overseas in some countries, and as we see on a regular basis here in Queensland and Australia, when people go overseas and bring the diseases back into our country.



BRIDGET BRENNAN: Dr Young is concerned that misinformation is spreading in areas like the Sunshine Coast, and that's why vaccination levels are low.



JEANETTE YOUNG: One of the ones that is steadily increasing, unfortunately, are those people who are vaccine refusers, or conscientious objectors. And for whatever reason, philosophically or otherwise, they really don't believe that vaccination is necessary. And they're putting the broader community at risk.



BRIDGET BRENNAN: In her view, punitive measures like welfare restrictions on parents might be a way to drive vaccination rates higher and stop the spread of contagious diseases.



JEANETTE YOUNG: So we've got to look at all strategies for how to encourage people to vaccinate their children. I think we need incentives, but I think we also do need to look at more punitive ways of managing it so they really do stop and think why this is so important.



BRIDGET BRENNAN: Scott Morrison's office says there'll be more detail about changes to welfare in the Government's upcoming families package in the next budget.



MARK COLVIN: Bridget Brennan.