Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network loses its charity status for fundraising over misinformation claims

Updated

The Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network has been stripped of its registered charity status because potential misinformation could impact on children's health.

The controversial anti-immunisation group was last week forced to change its name from the Australian Vaccination Network because it was considered misleading.

The group actively campaigns against vaccinating children.

Now New South Wales Fair Trading Minister Stuart Ayres has taken further action.

"We have requested that it surrender its authority to fundraise, which it has done, under the Charitable Fundraising Act," he said.

"An investigation has highlighted a number of potential concerns."

The State Government said it gathered expert medical advice challenging the accuracy of the information provided by the group.

It is now warning the public not to make charitable donations to the group.

Mr Ayres says the organisation will remain on the Government's radar.

"We will continue to monitor the information that they put on their website," he said.

"We will continue to ensure that they present themselves as an anti-vaccination advocacy. That's entirely up to them to do that. We want to make sure that they don't ever promote misleading information."

Legislation introduced at the start of the year prevents children being enrolled at childcare facilities unless they have been fully immunised or officially been exempt.

Health Minister Jillian Skinner says parents should not avoid vaccinating their children.

"Our government is determined to protect our children from the devastating consequences of vaccine-preventable disease," she said.

"While New South Wales has a very high rate of vaccination among children, we will continue to do all we can to protect those children who remain unvaccinated.

"Forget the scaremongering. There is nothing to fear from vaccination."

But the group itself has rejected the Government's suggestion that it was forced to revoke its status as a charity and its right to fundraise as one.

The network says it was already in the process of de-registering as a charity before the Government asked it to show cause as to why it should not revoke its right to fundraise.

Network says licence was surrendered voluntarily

Spokesman Greg Beattie says it moved independently to wind itself up as a charity.

"We explained to the office that we were in the process of surrendering our licence anyway ... and we had been for six months in that process at that stage. So we got in well before the culmination of that particular request to show cause," he said.

"This move was something we did voluntarily. We've been trying to shed this licence for years because we have never used it, it's never been of any benefit and was a detriment because it takes work and expense to upkeep the licence."

"Let it be known that we are entirely happy about what's happened. In fact we're still celebrating. This is something that we've been wanting to happen for many years."

Mr Beattie rejects the Government's claims that the group has been providing misinformation about the risks of vaccinating children.

He says the Office of Liquor and Gaming conducted an investigation using the medical opinion of two professors who he claims are well-known opponents of the group's stance on vaccinations.

"Two professors who submitted affidavits saying in their opinion we provide unbalanced information," he said.

"I did actually respond to those two affidavits very briefly to the office, but I didn't have to go any further with it because our licence surrendering process finished before the investigation was completed."

Topics: vaccines-and-immunity, infant-health, nsw

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