Vaccination rates appear to have increased following the Federal Government's decision to reduce welfare payments for unvaccinated children.

For a month now, families who refuse or delay vaccinations have had their Family Tax Benefit Part A payments reduced by $28 a fortnight for each child.

This follows the No Jab, No Play policy that came in to effect in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria at the end of 2017.

Kristine Macartney from Sydney University is the director of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) and said that they have seen a small increases in vaccine coverage since the policy rolled out, to the order of 1 to 2 per cent in some areas.

"In a number of areas across Australia we're now getting to about 94 per cent coverage, so it's only a few percent of parents who do object to vaccination. Certain geographical areas have higher rates of objection," Professor Macartney said.

Pressures of new policy

Crow Tribe is a father of three children and is one of those who changed their minds about vaccinating his children.

He lives rurally and depends on the Government funding to supplement his family income while building a house, and while he had initially chosen not to vaccinate his children, the pressures of the new policies have made him reconsider.

Some of the unvaccinated children get together for informal playdates. ( ABC North Coast: Wiriya Sati )

He had all three vaccinated so they can now attend preschool and he can continue building without needing to work elsewhere.

"Anywhere where the human right to choose has been diminished, we as a people lose our liberties, and that raises a few concerns," Mr Tribe said.

"It's every child's right to be educated. Education being at the forefront of our approach to parenting, we chose to send them to preschool.

"We considered home-schooling, we still are very enthusiastic about home-schooling, except the kids need a social background, they need other kids to grow with and learn from and interact with.

"We live rurally and there are not many kids around us. Those that are around us do go to preschool and primary and high school. Our kids seeing the other kids going to school, in time, might make them feel left out.

"Have we done the right thing, in the long run? We are a little unsure. Have we done the wrong thing? Also unsure."

But father of two Sam Mehan has maintained his decision not to vaccinate his children.

While he managed to enrol his first child into preschool before the policy cut-off date, his one-year-old cannot go in to a preschool now because she is not vaccinated.

"I just think it's a discrimination against people and their freedom to choose either way," Mr Mehan said.

"It hasn't changed our decision. I think that the way it's affecting me is probably just the sadness to think that our Government is bringing in policies that are dividing us as a community, because it's a very polarising topic and people have a lot of opinions about it.

"They [his children] still go to playgroups where like-minded people are making similar choices.

"We've had to put a food garden in and look at alternative ways to enrich our life because of that cut in finance.

"It definitely makes you more resourceful and you definitely get an appreciation of community where friends and family are helping out."

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Sorry, this audio has expired Reconciling access to education with vaccination "no jab, no play" policies

According to the Department of Health, immunisation is critical for the health of children and the wider community.

The Department's website says about 90 per cent of the population has to be immune to interrupt disease transmission for most diseases.

But for a highly-infectious disease like measles, this is up to 95 per cent of the population.

Children end up missing out

It is the children who end up missing out according to Paula Gerber, deputy director for the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law at Monash University.

She said that to take away money and childcare is punitive and not actually providing an incentive as suggested in Government policy.

"They may think they're punishing the parent but the ultimate victim in all of this is the child," Professor Gerber said.

"Parents don't have any rights as such. The rights all belong to the child.

"The Conventions on the Rights of the Child talk about decisions having to be made in the best interest of the child.

"Parents have a lot of freedom to raise their children how they see fit, but where that freedom ends is where they're making decisions that are not in the best interests of the child.

"Immunisation of children is one issue where this really comes under the spotlight, because we have fairly clear evidence for the medical profession that immunisation is very beneficial to children."

Professor Gerber said that vulnerable, disadvantaged children are being further disadvantaged because their parents are no longer receiving welfare payments and are now unable to send their children to early childhood education.

"It seems to be putting one level of disadvantage on top of another," she said.

"Make no mistakes, it [early childhood education] is an education, whether it's before the start of primary school or not. This is designed to be an educational experience for the child and to prepare them for the best start in life and to do the best that they can in primary school and beyond."

A nurse prepares a syringe ahead of a child's immunisation. ( ABC News: Natasha Johnson )

"I think we should be taking our lead from the experts in the right area like the World Heath Organisation and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

"They are all saying the highest attainable standard of health means immunisation, but also the right to education means you don't penalise children or discriminate against children because of the decisions made by the parents," Professor Gerber said.

Professor Macartney said that there can be downsides to these policies.

"We want to ensure that families are given all the best possible information and supported by healthcare providers to understand the importance of vaccines," she said.

"If those measures are put in place, and if access to vaccinations and the logistical barriers that families face are addressed, as well as out-of-pocket costs of vaccines, then these policies won't be punitive, they will truly be trying to encourage all in a very level playing field."