October 29, 2015
New laws in Queensland designed to encourage parents to vaccinate their children have received bipartisan support in State Parliament.
On Thursday, MPs approved new measures to allow childcare centres to exclude children who are not fully immunised against vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Today State MPs supported the government’s legislation on a bipartisan basis to strengthen vaccination measures in Queensland,” health Minister Cameron Dick said.
“Most parents are doing the right thing and making sure their children are fully immunised, but some simply forget to take this important step.
“This is why we want to empower childcare centres to have a conversation with parents about their child’s immunisation needs and encourage families to vaccinate.
“Importantly, these laws will protect child care centres when they make decisions about enrolment based on the best interests of children in their care.
“Every year, there are tragic cases that highlight the importance of ensuring everyone in your family is fully immunised.
“Conditions like whooping cough, while usually mild for adults, can have tragic consequences for very young children.”
The new laws will come into effect from January 1, 2016.
Mr Dick said the State Government had set a target for 95 per cent of all children to be fully immunised against preventable diseases.
