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Australia to fine parents who don't vaccinate their children

Australia has clamped down on its ‘no jab, no pay’ policy by issuing further fines for parents who refuse to vaccinate their children.

Back in 2016, the revolutionary initiative withheld end of year tax benefits from families which refused to vaccinate their children.

But in a bid to crack down on even further, stricter sanctions kick-started this week. Now, parents who refuse to keep up to date with immunisations face losing $28 from their tax benefits every two weeks.

Parents now face losing $28 from their tax benefits every two weeks. Photo: Getty
Parents now face losing $28 from their tax benefits every two weeks. Photo: Getty

The news comes after the Australian government reported a rise in children under the age of seven with a ‘conscientious objection’ to immunisation. Figures soared from 0.23 percent in December 1999 to 1.77 percent in December 2014.

The new measures are designed to help protect youngsters from life-threatening illnesses.

The government reported a rise in children under the age of seven with a ‘conscientious objection’ to immunisation. Photo: Getty
The government reported a rise in children under the age of seven with a ‘conscientious objection’ to immunisation. Photo: Getty

“Immunisation is the safest way to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases,” the Minister for Social Services, Dan Tehan, announced in a statement.

“Parents who don’t immunise their children are putting their own kids at risk as well as the children of other people.”

And the country’s crackdown seems to be working. Since the initial ‘no jab, no pay’ scheme was launched two years ago, 246,000 more children have received their vaccinations, according to a report by ABC News.

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