History of the Program
Information about the evolution and establishment of the Immunise Australia Program.
The Immunise Australia Program developed from the initiatives of the 1993 National Immunisation Strategy and was formally established through the Immunise Australia: Seven Point Plan in 1997.
Immunise Australia: Seven Point Plan
The Seven Point Plan was launched by the then Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Dr Michael Wooldridge, in February 1997. It included the following initiatives:1. Initiatives for parents:
Maternity Immunisation Allowance
The first initiative directed towards parents was the restructuring of the Maternity Allowance to provide a bonus to parents for ensuring that their child’s immunisation coverage was up-to-date for age. This initiative was designed to act as a strong incentive and reminder to parents to immunise their children on time. The initiative continues and is referred to as the Maternity Immunisation Allowance (Centrelink). Provisions were made for those parents who do not have their children immunised due to medical contraindications or conscientious objection to be able to receive the Maternity Immunisation Allowance. These provisions continue.
Childcare Assistance Rebate and/or the Childcare Cash Rebate
The second initiative directed towards parents was related to childcare rebates. On 27 April 1998, new requirements
were introduced for recipients of the Childcare Assistance Rebate and/or the Childcare Cash Rebate. From that date, families applying for Childcare Assistance and Childcare Cash Rebate were required to demonstrate that their child’s immunisation coverage was up-to-date for age. This approach ensured parents were reminded of the importance of immunising their children at each of the milestones.On 1 July 2000, the Childcare Assistance and Childcare Cash Rebate were replaced by a new payment called the Child Care Benefit (Centrelink). Again, provisions were made for parents who did not have their children immunised due to medical contraindications or conscientious objection to claim exemption from this requirement and continue to receive the Child Care Benefit. These provisions continue.
2. A bigger role for general practitioners
Immunisation services were delivered by a range of providers. Local Councils, health clinics and GPs all played their part in immunising children. However, it was estimated that in the mid-nineties, GPs saw 93 per cent of children an average of seven times a year in their first year of life, which placed them in a prime position to target children who were not targeted by other means and to monitor the immunisation status of all children in their care.The General Practice Immunisation Incentives (GPII) Scheme (Medicare Australia) was introduced on 1 July 1998 to provide financial incentives to general practitioners who monitor, promote and provide age appropriate immunisation services to children under the age of seven years. This initiative continues, although it has undergone some revisions since its introduction.
Divisions of General Practice also increased their involvement to ensure GPs follow current immunisation protocols and that proper arrangements were in place locally for vaccine storage and for sending data to the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) (Medicare Australia).
3. Monitoring & evaluation of immunisation targets
Data on immunisation rates from the ACIR continue to be published regularly in Communicable Diseases Intelligence (CDI).4. Immunisation days
The Commonwealth, together with the States and Territories piloted a series of immunisation days to increase immunisation rates in geographical areas of low immunisation coverage on 2 August, 4 October and 6 December 1997. Over 4,600 individuals (including children, adolescents and adults) were vaccinated on the days at a total of 195 sites.5. Measles eradication
A one-off school based measles control campaign was undertaken from 3 August to 6 November 1998 which offered a MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccination to all primary school aged children. Around 1.7 million or 96% of school aged children 5-12 years were vaccinated during the campaign. A serosurvey conducted after the campaign showed that 94% of children aged 6-12 years were immune to measles, an increase from 84% before the campaign. In the preschool group it was estimated that 97.5% of those aged 12 months to 3.5 years had received their first dose of MMR vaccine and serology showed that 89% of children aged 2-5 years were protected, a rise from 82% before the campaign.6. Education and research
A major community education campaign was conducted in 1997, including television and magazines and a component targeting people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. There was also a strategy for service providers including distribution of a new edition of the Australian Immunisation Handbook, a regular column in Australian Doctor, a rural satellite broadcast program and a range of resource materials. Service providers continue to receive program information, resources and copies of the new edition of the Handbook as they are developed. The 9th Edition Australian Immunisation Handbook (2008) is the most recent edition of the Handbook.The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), which was established in August 1997, is based at the Children's Hospital, Westmead, NSW. The Centre's role when it began was to coordinate and conduct research and analysis of epidemiological and sociological aspects of immunisation and vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) and provide policy information and advice to inform future directions for the national childhood immunisation program. The Centre continues with this role today.
7. School entry requirements
The Commonwealth worked with State and Territory Governments on uniform school entry requirements to ensure that parents submit details of their children's immunisation history when they enrolled their children for school. Recommendations for model school entry legislation were developed by the Legislation Reform Working Group and endorsed by the National Public Health Partnership. Legislation was passed in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.1993 National Immunisation Strategy
To improve efficiency, quality, coverage and accountability, this national approach to immunisation recommended strategies such as:- Child-care, pre-school and school entry requirements;
- Improved access to vaccinations;
- Consistent vaccine purchasing arrangements (including a national price for vaccines);
- Standards for vaccine distribution;
- Record keeping and reminders;
- Professional education; and
- Public awareness campaigns.
For more information refer to the rescinded publication National Immunisation Strategy (NHMRC).
Page last modified: 22 March, 2010