Australian parents who don't vaccinate will be fined as a 'constant reminder' they should

Sonja Haller | USA TODAY

Australia's vaccination laws have been tough for the past two years, but this month they got more unforgiving.

Parents who fail to vaccinate their kids could be fined.

Anti-vaxxer parents will be docked 28 Australian dollars ($20 USD) from their family tax benefits every two weeks, announced Dan Tehan, the country’s Minister for Social Services.

"Immunization is the safest way to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases," Tehan said. "Parents who don’t immunize their children are putting their own kids at risk as well as the children of other people."

'A constant reminder' for parents

Parents who refuse to immunise their children will begin paying for the choice from today. The government will slash fortnightly family payments by $28 per un-vaccinated child as part of their no jab, no pay policy.#7News pic.twitter.com/9VnbOnwuYX — 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) July 1, 2018

Before the new penalty was instituted, parents whose children were not vaccinated lost their Family Tax Benefit Part A end-of-the-year supplement, which was up to 737 Australian dollars or $545.

Tehan said the new measures under Australia's No Jab, No Pay policy provide a "constant reminder for parents to keep their children’s immunization up to date."

The federal parliament passed the policy two years ago, and it eliminated a parent's right to "conscientiously object" to vaccination, except for children with certain medical issues or natural immunity.

The tougher vaccination laws were implemented in 2016 after Australian children under the age of 7 not vaccinated due to a “conscientious objection” grew from 0.23 percent in December 1999 to 1.77 percent in December 2014, the Independent reported.

Even more penalties for parents

Parents could lose up to 15,000 Australian dollars in government benefits and welfare rebates, according to the New York Times.

Some Australian states bar children who have not been vaccinated from child care centers, either permanently or during disease outbreaks. Centers that admit them can face fines of up to 30,000 in Australian dollars, according to the same Times report.

The Australian government is seeking a 95 percent immunization rate of 5-year-olds.

The most recent data show a 93.5 percent immunization rate for 2016-17, having risen from 92.9 percent in 2015-16 when vaccination policies first began, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

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