Key facts
- The Australian Government provides funding for this program.
- The state and territory governments oversee vaccine distribution and delivery.
- All vaccines on the program must first go through a listing process.
What is the program
The National Immunisation Program (NIP) provides free vaccines to:
- protect Australians from serious diseases
- reduce disease in our community
- increase immunisation rates for herd immunity.
The free vaccines are available to eligible people at different ages, including:
- babies and children
- teens
- pregnant women
- older adults
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- people with medical conditions that put them at greater risk of disease.
These are set out in the NIP schedule.
Eligibility for free vaccines under the NIP is linked to eligibility for Medicare benefits.
Under the program, eligible people can also catch up on childhood vaccinations they have missed for free.
Who funds and oversees the program
The Australian Government:
- provides funding to buy vaccines for the program
- sets program policy.
The state and territory governments oversee the:
- distribution of vaccines
- delivery of immunisation services.
Some state and territory governments fund additional vaccines that are not included in the NIP.
To find out more about the roles and responsibilities of the Australian, state and territory governments, see the essential vaccines schedule.
A range of expert committees and groups advise on program strategy and delivery.
How are NIP vaccines chosen
Most vaccines are developed by pharmaceutical companies.
For a vaccine to be listed and available through the program, it must be:
- registered – the Therapeutic Goods Administration must approve and register the vaccine as safe to use
- recommended:
- the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) must recommend the vaccine is clinically effective and cost effective for the program (usually for a specific group of people, such as newborns or people with a specific disease)
- clinical advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group must accompany all vaccine submissions to the PBAC.
- priced – the Australian Government and the pharmaceutical company must agree to a price for the vaccine
- approved – the Australian Government must approve funding for the vaccine and list the vaccine in the Federal Register of Legislation National Health (Immunisation Program—Designated Vaccines) Determination 2026
- purchased – the pharmaceutical company can take part in a program procurement process so the Australian Government can buy the vaccine.
This listing process decides:
- what vaccines the program funds
- who can access them.
Funding decisions determine who can get a vaccine for free through the program. They are based on evidence about who is most at risk of disease and who benefits most from vaccination.
The first and second steps in the process use health technology assessments.
Learn more about the process for listing vaccines on the NIP.
Providing a free vaccine to more groups
Once a vaccine is on the program, it must go through the listing process again to be made available:
- to different groups of people
- at different ages.
Example
The committee in step 2 of the listing process recommends a vaccine for people aged 65 years and over. The government approves and buys it for the program.
For the vaccine to also be available to pregnant women through the program, it must go through the listing process again.
This makes sure it is also safe and effective for pregnant women.
Next steps
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