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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 192 ..

Mr Moore: No, it is not. That is the fundamental issue.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Moore says that it is not a minor issue. It is a very big issue for a small number of people; but, at the moment, 90 per cent of parents are choosing to start immunisation.

Mr Moore: Then they might listen to the evidence and change their minds.

MRS CARNELL: I am assuming, and I believe that it is true, that parents do look at the evidence that is available. I certainly would not suggest that an Assembly committee would make any significant judgments on immunisation - in an absolute 100 per cent yes or no approach - for other people. I am sure, as I think other members have said, that there is an enormous amount of information available on both sides. What we have to do is make sure that information is available to parents to make that decision. That information is available right now. It is very difficult information to get on top of; but, at the moment, 90 per cent of parents are starting immunisation. What we have to do is make sure that those 90 per cent continue all the way through or, if they choose to continue all the way through, have the services available to make sure that that happens.

In this Assembly we have already passed legislation to set up the ACT immunisation register. As everybody knows, that is now in place. We have already set up exclusion legislation, to ensure that children who are not immunised are excluded from school if there is an outbreak of a particular condition. That was legislation that was put forward under Mr Berry as Minister, I would have to suggest. Already we have a situation where, when children start preschool or school, they have to make their immunisation records available. That exists. So, what we have to do now is add to the approach we have taken, which includes free vaccines for GPs in exchange for data, the establishment of an immunisation coordinator, the register, the school entry legislation, the education literature and seminars for GPs and nurses, and the credentialling program for nurses. All these things exist, and there is a long list of them.

What we have to do now is look for ways in which we can make it easier for working mums and busy families to continue with immunisation. That will happen this year with a number of proposals that have already been put in place, including follow-up letters to parents using our immunisation register. We have put a proposal to the Federal Government already, asking for $470,000 to implement a number of trials, such as having weekend clinics to increase access to immunisation for working parents; equipping a mobile van to deliver immunisations or vaccines to children in outlying suburbs, schools and shopping centres; even going to people's own homes where mums - or dads, for that matter - cannot get out of their homes; and providing immunisation at preschools, child-care centres and kindergartens, if that is the way to go.

As I said, the recall letter program is something that we are looking at aiming at two- and three-year-old children. We are also looking at a media campaign to raise awareness and to educate the public about immunisation and, all importantly, to make sure that information is available to parents so that they can make that decision based upon the information that exists right now. But I think it would be really unfortunate for this committee to get totally tied up in that age-old problem of immunisation, yes or no, because at the end of the day it is going to be a parent's choice.

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