CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – The Australian government has ramped up pressure on parents who oppose vaccination by threatening to withhold child care and other payments from families that fail to immunize their children.
The government announced this week that families could lose up to 15,000 Australian dollars ($11,400) per child per year in tax and child care benefits from Jan. 1, 2016, unless their children are vaccinated under a “no jab, no pay” policy.
The crackdown comes as similar moves to limit vaccination waivers in the United States have proved to be deeply divisive.
It also follows a new focus on vaccinating children in Australia after the death of a four-week-old baby last month of whooping cough in the west coast city of Perth. The parents of Riley John Hughes are campaigning on social media to eradicate the disease. It is particularly dangerous to babies under six months who are too young to be fully vaccinated.
The government is removing a category of “conscientious objector” that allowed parents to remain eligible for full welfare benefits despite not immunizing their children.