Government announces boost to immunisation incentive

Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley has announced that the Government’s upcoming Budget will include a $26.4 million boost to the Federal Government’s Immunise Australia programme to increase national immunisation coverage rates. The initiative is part of the Government’s ‘carrot and stick’ approach, that also includes the Government’s recently announced ‘no jab, no play, no pay’ policy. The Budget package will include:

• An additional $6 incentive payment made to doctors and other immunisation providers who identify children beyond two months overdue for their vaccinations and catch them up. This will be paid on top of the existing $6 payment that doctors receive to deliver the vaccination. 
• Developing an Australian School Vaccination Register to allow recording of all adolescent vaccines, as well as exploring options to capture adult immunisation records.
• Providing a range of communication activities, tools and resources to increase awareness and understanding of the National Immunisation Program (NIP) and to address parents’ concerns regarding immunisation, including dispelling common myths. Tools to assist doctors in having these important conversations will also be developed.