From January 2027, more pharmacists will be able to vaccinate children under five years old under new measures announced in the federal budget. The initiative aims to reverse a steady decline in childhood vaccine coverage that has persisted since 2020.
Declining Coverage Rates
Vaccine coverage in Australian children has been dropping. Fully vaccinated 12-month-olds fell from 94.8% in 2020 to 90.5% in 2025. On-time vaccination—receiving a routine vaccine within 30 days of the recommended age—has declined even more sharply compared with pre-COVID levels.
In 2025, nearly two in five children received the first dose of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine late. One in five received their second dose of a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine late. Among adolescents, two out of ten had not received a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine dose by age 15, and three out of ten had not received an adolescent dose of meningococcal ACWY vaccine by age 17.
Return of Preventable Diseases
These declines coincide with a global rise in vaccine-preventable diseases. Measles cases have surged worldwide, causing many countries—including the United Kingdom and Canada—to lose their measles elimination status. In Australia, more than 100 measles cases have been reported this year alone.
Australia is also battling its worst diphtheria outbreak in decades, with over 425 cases in 2026, predominantly in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Additionally, polio has been detected in sewage in Western Australia, underscoring the urgency of maintaining high vaccination coverage.
Reasons for the Decline
Multiple factors contribute to falling vaccination rates: declining trust in healthcare providers, concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy, proliferation of online misinformation, practical barriers such as out-of-pocket costs and access to providers, and shortages of doctors, nurses, and Aboriginal health workers—especially in rural areas.
A 2025 national survey of parents with children under five found that more than half of those with partially vaccinated children believed vaccines were unsafe and distrusted vaccine information from healthcare providers. Another survey comparing 2017 and 2023 data showed an increase in parents holding incorrect beliefs about childhood vaccinations, including that vaccine ingredients are unsafe, vaccines cause autism, and children receive too many vaccines.
Safety of Vaccines
The vaccines used in the childhood National Immunisation Program today are essentially the same as those used a decade ago. With approximately 300,000 births per year and about 90% coverage for infant vaccines, around 2.5 million infants have been vaccinated since 2015. Australia maintains a comprehensive system to detect serious safety signals; no serious issues have been identified with program vaccines over this period.
New Measures to Boost Coverage
The federal budget includes funding for SMS reminders and targeted information to families when their child's vaccines are due. From January 1, 2027, the expanded program will allow children under five to receive childhood vaccines in pharmacies. Currently, children aged five and older can already access pharmacy vaccinations under the National Immunisation Program Vaccination in Pharmacies scheme.
A health department spokesperson confirmed to The Conversation that participating pharmacies would begin vaccinating younger children from next year, where state and territory legislation permits. The new nasal flu vaccine, registered for children aged two to under 18, is already available in some pharmacies, though access and eligible ages for free flu vaccine vary by jurisdiction.
These initiatives target key barriers to vaccination, aiming to halt further declines in coverage and restore community protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.
