New Legislation To Plug The Loophole Which Allowed Anti-Vaccination Childcare Centres To Be Set Up

The opposition will introduce new legislation that will plug the loophole which had allowed anti-vaccination childcare centres to be set up.

The legislation, set to be introduced this week, will ban parents who oppose vaccination on conscientious grounds, from enrolling their children at NSW childcare centres.

Labor leader Luke Foley announced yesterday that the policy would plug the loophole which had allowed the mushrooming of specialist anti-vaccination childcare centres.

“We need to be encouraging vaccinations not discouraging them. Vaccinations are the only way to protect against serious diseases like polio, mumps, whooping cough, meningococcal, diphtheria and tetanus,” Mr Foley said in a statement.

However, the changes will not affect children who can’t be vaccinated because of a medical condition such as a specialised cancer treatment.

Mr Foley also said that his plan would also cover family day care operations.

The announcement was made after an unvaccinated seven-year-old girl from NSW was diagnosed with tetanus last month. It is believed that she contracted the disease through an open wound on her foot while playing in the garden of her home in the state’s north. There have also been reports that parents opposed to vaccinations were planning on setting up their own daycare centres for unvaccinated children.

The case prompted renewed debate in the north coast region, which has some of the lowest immunisation rates in Australia.

Source: 9news.com.au