The Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) is a national immunisation register which records vaccines given to all people in Australia. This includes COVID-19 vaccines, vaccines given under the National Immunisation Program (NIP), and vaccines given privately, such as for seasonal influenza or travel.
Under the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 (AIR Act) it is mandatory for all vaccination providers to report to the AIR:
- COVID-19 vaccinations administered on or after 20 February 2021
- Influenza vaccinations administered on or after 1 March 2021
- NIP vaccinations administered on or after 1 July 2021.
Further legislative changes mean that from 21 December 2022, vaccination providers must report the administration of all Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccines to the AIR.
Reporting timely, high quality and accurate information to the AIR allows us to monitor immunisation coverage and administration across Australia. This also provides Australians with a complete record of their vaccinations, which can be used for education, employment, and travel purposes.
The Australian Immunisation Register Rule 2015 lists the specific vaccines, the data elements to report, and how and when to report these. These include:
- relevant vaccines: COVID-19, influenza, NIP and JEV vaccines.
- how to report: electronic, or if this is not reasonably practical then in written form.
- when to report: within 24 hours, and no more than 10 working days after the vaccination.
- personal information: Medicare number (if applicable), name, contact details, date of birth, gender.
- vaccine information: brand name, dose number and batch number, date given, for COVID-19 vaccines - vial serial number (if known).
- provider information: provider number, name and contact details.
You can quickly report vaccination information via the AIR site in HPOS or through relevant clinical software.
Health professionals should use the latest version of their clinical software to make sure they meet reporting requirements. We will continue to work with Services Australia to help software developers and vaccination providers meet their reporting obligations.
The legislative changes do not make having a vaccine mandatory, only that vaccination providers must report the administration of vaccinations to the AIR.
Further information
Learn more about what personal information is collected in the AIR and how this information can be used and disclosed.
Learn more about Japanese encephalitis.
Contacts
For help with reporting to the AIR:
Australian Immunisation Register contact
