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Government ends benefits for parents who do not vaccinate

The government has confirmed that eligibility for taxpayer-funded payments (including Child Care Benefit, Child Care Rebate and the Family Tax Benefit Part A end of year supplement) will be dependent on children having met early childhood immunisation requirements.

The government will end the one religious exemption on children’s vaccinations (for the Church of Christ, Scientist, which apparently doesn't advise against vaccinating children anyway!) for access to these payments from 1 January 2016. 

The conscientious objector exemption on children's vaccination has also ended, so the only authorised exemption from being required to have children immunised in order to receive benefits will be on medical grounds. 

Therefore, parents may still decide to not vaccinate their children (as a 'vaccination objector'), but they are no longer eligible for assistance from the Australian Government.