Action urged to prevent payments being cut

Parents are running out of time to vaccinate their children if they want to avoid having their family support payments cut under the Commonwealth Government’s No Jab, No Pay rules.

The Department of Human Services has written to about 130,000 families whose immunisation records were not up to date as of 1 July, advising them they have until September 3 to take action.

Those who fail to respond by the deadline will have their Family Tax Benefit Part A payments reduced by $28.28 each fortnight for every child not vaccinated, providing a constant reminder for parents to keep their children’s immunisation up to date.

Parents do not need to notify the department once their child is immunised, as their vaccination provider will update the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

To find out more about immunisation requirements for family payments and the AIR, visit humanservices.gov.au/immunisation

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