SA Government proposes new laws to ban unvaccinated children from childcare and preschool centres

UNVACCINATED children would be banned from attending childcare, kindergarten or preschool under proposed new state laws. But the government wants to hear from parents before making a final decision.

• Adelaide city centre has the lowest jab rate in South Australia
• The best — and worst — Adelaide suburbs for child vaccination rates
• Federal Labor MP Kate Ellis wants tougher vaccination rules
• How the State Government first foreshadowed this move

UNVACCINATED children would be banned from attending childcare, kindergarten or preschool if proposed stricter laws are approved.

The State Government has released legislation for public consultation and intends to pass it through Parliament before the end of the year.

Parents would need to provide evidence that their child is fully immunised in order to enrol them at any public or private childcare centre.

Some children with medical exemptions, such as those who experience severe allergic reactions to vaccines, would be allowed to enrol but would likely be made to stay home if there was an outbreak of illness at their preschool.

Centres which did not comply with the new requirements would be fined up to $30,000.

The New South Wales and Victorian Governments have similar laws and the SA branch of the Australian Medical Association has, in the past, supported giving childcare centres the right to refuse unvaccinated children.

Education and Child Development Minister Susan Close said on Sunday that more than 90 per cent of SA children were immunised and the policy would encourage remaining families to ensure their vaccinations were up to date.

Dr Close conceded there were some families who oppose vaccination “on non-scientific grounds” but said the government “won’t be listening to people who have no scientific evidence”.

“We are not interested in any kind of revisiting about the merits of vaccination,” she said.

The required vaccinations are for measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, meningococcal type C, hepatitis B, rotavirus, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, pneumococcal infection and haemophilus influenzae type B.

Some SA childcare centres already have a policy of refusing to care for unvaccinated children but Health Minister Jack Snelling — whose department drafted the new laws — said he was aware of cases where centres had been taken to court by angry parents.

In January 2016, the Federal Government’s “no jab, no pay” policy took effect and families which do not fully immunise their children now lose welfare payments.

Public consultation on the proposed change to SA law closes on August 11.

To provide feedback visit the SA Health website.