Hello, I emailed some of my story last year, but I just had to walk away from the whole mess of a situation and concentrate on Christmas, holidays and birthdays to keep my sanity. I’d like to share my story so far for you to pass on to barristers if you so wish. I’ll try to keep it short and to the facts.
Last year, I was struggling as a single parent with 2 kids. I was losing my patience with my youngest, now just turned 3. She was throwing tantrums all day every day. When I say all day it’s no exaggeration. From the time she woke up to the time she went to bed. She’s very sensitive and clingy. The tiniest thing sets her off.
I called Child First asking for help 3 times. (We are in Victoria) I wanted to put her in child care then and there. Wasn’t thinking of this year. Just then and there. I needed a break. She had only been away from me once her entire life.
Child First flat out refused to help. (They are the service that gets involved to stop child protection becoming involved) They refused to help based on legislation coming in next year. Umm, I wasn’t talking about next year I was talking about now (then October/November). 3 times I called asking for help and every time, “no we can’t and won’t”.
So I started looking for child care myself. Being the end of year, no one would give me a place as they were full or had limited staff at end of year. Which is why I needed Child First’s help to get her in somewhere.
So I tried to get her in for this year. Good Start Early Learning told me they had lots of placements for next year. So I filled in forms and put them in. They changed their tune when they found out she wasn’t vaxed and denied placement on the grounds they thought I couldn’t afford it. I had never said I couldn’t afford it. They wanted me to fill in special child care benefit forms and were only going to approve her placement if that was approved, which doesn’t get approved if the placement isn’t approved, and now, it won’t be approved unless she is fully up to date.
I spoke to lawyers about this and they said, no they can’t do this and no, we won’t help you.
I ended up calling Child First again and demanding to speak to the manager as they were failing their duty of care and leaving my kids at risk and refusing to help. They wanted to listen then.
At the same time, a doctor had called CPS and made a report. I had lost my patience with her and grabbed her arms and yelled at her. I got a call from after-hours child protection who were happy to open a case but take it no further and refer to Child First. Coming from them, they had to accept the referral. Which, after speaking to the manager, they were doing anyway.
I ended up finding a child care centre on my own that could take her, I think it was a total of 3 days last year before Christmas. They left the enrolment open so she would have a spot this year too instead of having to re-enrol and being denied.
Child f]\First wasn’t too happy about doing anything for me. Her not going to daycare is leaving both my kids at risk. I’m only human and can’t do absolutely everything on my own with no break ever. I’ve ended up horribly sick trying to do that and will end up totally useless to everyone if it continues.
XXXXXXX’s 3 days a week at kinder is the only thing keeping me sane and everything running. I would be failing miserably getting everything organised and my son to school on time with clean clothes and a full lunch box without it. But Child First are hopeless. They handed over to Services Connect who refused to take my case on and handed it straight back.
So they handed over to Parenting Support who also wanted to close after our first meeting saying it’s not their problem, there’s nothing they can do. I’ve been fighting with them, refusing to let them close without any help. Telling them that CPS expected them all to do something to help yet they are all just ignoring it and walking away with no support in place at all.
The GP I spoke with said that there’s no reason why I can’t do everything on my own with no break ever and if I couldn’t, then Parenting Support should teach me and I shouldn’t expect society to do it all for me. I guess the guy was barely present for his kids when they were little.
So the 5th of March has been and gone which was the cut off date for CCB. Apparently, Centerlink are going to keep paying everyone CCB until they have entirely updated the whole immunisation register, then send debt collectors after everyone they have kept paying. I’m not sure if this is true. I don’t know where the info originally came from – it certainly wasn’t Centerlink, but it would explain why I still got paid CCB last week. Or rather why the child care centre got paid it for me. (ed note: This is true. The Australian Childhood Immunisation Register’s data is purported to be as much as 50% incorrect and it will take many weeks or months to fix the data. Until that is done, unless parents notify Centrelink that they have no intention of vaccinating, they will keep getting paid and accruing a debt. The government has even stated that they will be looking at assessing interest on these debts.)
They haven’t notified anyone that they have to call and cancel payments themselves if they don’t want to end up in debt. They have only said kids are not up to date and need to be or have exemption. This is going to be another battle with them.
There’s also the question of royal assent to any legislation passed. Royal assent needs to be given according to the letters patent 1900. There was an amendment to this in – I think it was 1987 – but any changes to the constitution need to be done via referendum which it was not. So it leaves any changes unlawful and invalid and no legislation has gained the rightful royal assent since then. Including this one.
Section 109 of the constitution, inconsistent laws.
It’s inconsistent with a lot of things.
Australian constitution act section 51 (xxiiiA)
Universal declaration of human rights and bioethics articles 4,6,11,14 and 16
Rights of a child
Australian treaty series international civil and political rights article 7
Crimes act 1914 section 28
Criminal code act 1995 section 270.1
Rule of law.
It conflicts the following guidelines:
National framework for protecting Australia’s children 2009-2020
Doctor’s Hippocratic oath.
And the child care handbook.
It’s conflicting with duty of care from all government agencies.
It’s leaving some kids at risk.
I was a firm believer in vaccination for many years.
My education in the health industry began to open my eyes to many issues which I began to research over many years.
My family has a current history of Aspergers, depression, autoimmune disorders, learning difficulties, anxiety, food intolerances…I could go on.
My children are not candidates for a safe outcome if vaccinated and therefore, for their safety
And wellbeing, I have chosen not to vaccinate.
This decision will not change.
My husband suffers from depression. I have one child at school and one at home and am forced by the government to stay at home as working is not possible due to cost of childcare. My husband appears to be getting worse as he feels guilt at not being a provider and we literally have no money to keep going.
We have been treated like vermin and labeled.
The government is bullying my family by its choices and tactics.
They have taken away our right to choose which is completely un-Australian and unconstitutional.
I am the separated mother of a nearly ten year old child, university educated and knowledgeable about health choices via my degree. I receive a disability pension for ill health and trauma resulting from a difficult birth experience and subsequent pharmaceutical interventions, including an unnecessary MMR jab while in hospital (I already had natural immunity from mumps and measles as a child). I also have a part time job in the arts.
Personally, I will lose only the end of year rebate, but this has been a useful lump sum payment, helpful to pay for family holidays, healthcare costs, and other one-off expenses, I am deeply grateful for having been able to access subsidised daycare when my son was younger and I was particularly incapacitated after my son’s first year, first in order to be able to rest and recover, then to be able to work again, although to a limited extent, due to both ability issues and parenting responsibilities.
To be honest, the biggest toll from this policy is the stress from bullying and scapegoating by doctors and pro-vax zealots, who do not even appear to be knowledgeable of the full picture regarding vaccines and their imperfections, but who are instead reacting from fear and misinformation. I have some empathy with how marginalised groups have felt after being irrationally discriminated against in this way.
I also live in close proximity to someone with a severe physical and intellectual disabilty which was the result of a multidose vaccine. This person, now in their thirties, requires round-the-clock carers and a lifetime’s supply of nappies.
I’ve read extensively about vaccines and I think the denial of injury, given what has been recorded, documented and in many cases paid out in compensation in other countries such as the USA via its VAERS/VICP vaccine special court process, reveals Australia to be a backwards nation where over-zealous vaccination policy and compensation for known risks are concerned. In the matter of health choices- I believe it is my right and that of every Australian, as clearly stated in Australian and International laws and covenants, to choose non-pharmaceutical, non-vaccination means, about which a great deal is known in 2016, to safeguard our families’ health.
I therefore feel such compassion and empathy for families with healthy, disease-free children, and legitimate reasons to object to full schedule vaccination, who will effectively be excluded from childcare or kindergarten for no good reason, either because of the CCB cuts, or because they are excluded totally under No Jab No Play, unless they consent to EVERY SINGLE VACCINE and EVERY SINGLE FOLLOW UP SHOT, whether required or not, even by the standards of the system whereby the presence of antibody tests can be used to measure such things….but are not routinely done.
The penalties and exclusions seem to me doubly misguided, given that infectious disease episodes, which are never widespread outbreaks anyway, in a lucky developed country like Australia, are traced to the fully vaccinated here. My own unvaccinated child acquired chicken pox via a vaccinated child. I am thankful that my kid now has lifelong immunity r a mild childhood illness that isn’t even on the schedule in some countries (e.g.UK), but omission of which vaccination results in financial penalties and being banned from childcare centres and schools, in Australia!
On Christmas day of 2014, I left a Domestic Violence situation with my husband and moved my 4 children and I to the Gold Coast.
Life began to be great again and I was working in a great position I am great at and enjoy.
I now cannot afford to work. Childcare was $125 a week, now it is nearly that a day.
I could not afford for my children to all stay living with me so now two of them live interstate with family.
Being on just Centrelink means I am getting $600 coming in a week and $400 going out in rent, with no option to move as I have no money for removalists etc.
I have no family up here and cannot move due to my own safety.
My 3 year-old daughter is missing the interaction with other children and her ability to be stimulated day in/day out by me is dissolving no matter what I offer. She is now playing up which is adding to my stress levels and never having any time to myself.
My lease runs out in August though I know not when I will even have enough money to pay our recent $450 electricity bill.
I am not someone who just doesn’t want to get my daughter a needle. I took myself to the doctor when I was 15 to get my MMR and had an adverse reaction AS A FIFTEEN YEAR OLD!
My daughter will not be subjected to the vaccination/immunisation schedule. She is perfect and does not require to be compromised in any way. I will raise her in a caravan park if need be and will always keep her safe.
I do hope I can have an opportunity to go back to being a productive member of society.
This is no way to live and I will do what I need to do to ensure her health.
Kindest Regards,
Further to your email about this terrible policy, I would like to share our story.
Thankfully, we do not need utilise childcare but if we did, we would be in real strife. I feel for so many of our friends who have had to make hard decisions about sending their children to kindergarten earlier than intended to avoid being locked out of early education because their children aren’t immunised.
I have two children, a nearly 10 year-old and a four year-old. We are moving to a new house and cannot change kinder because he is not immunized. We will have to commute to the kinder he is currently enrolled in and that will add a lot of travel time and inconvenience.
I personally find it a human rights issue that I cannot even have a conscientious objection to vaccines. My husband and I both have postgraduate qualifications. We have read the research and made an intelligent and educated decision not to vaccinate our children. We may have participated in some vaccines if the schedule allowed for single vaccines and at an age we thought was appropriate. However, the government is determined to have an all or nothing approach to this complex and very personal issue.
I do not wish to have my name publicly attached to any comments due to the barrage of harassment we have received when we have spoken out in the past. We find it very stressful to speak about vaccinations because of people’s prejudice and lack of understanding of the real issues.
Good luck with the court case. I pity any free thinking and acting parent that has to give birth and educate their children in an increasing fascist country.
This year the impact on my family of the No Jab No Pay legislation will be the loss of $9450 in Childcare Benefits.
I imagine the fine would be less if I committed a criminal act. My wife and I both work full time as a florist (my wife) and a disability worker (me). We are working-class people and this $9450 fine will hit us hard. We will not be able to afford any type of holiday this year, and our budget for anything other than essential items is gone. We have another child due in August and my wife will need to quit work altogether at that time as the Childcare costs would exceed her income due to our decision not to vaccinate our children. This will force me to seek a different job, as I cannot support my family as a sole breadwinner as a disability worker in my current role.
We are university educated people and have assessed both sides of the vaccination argument. We have chosen to follow a precautionary principle, and have exercised our right to deny informed consent and we support government policies that might accommodate an ethical stance.
Thank you to the AVN for its advocacy on this injustice.
Good afternoon,
I am a mum of 3. My first 2 are partially vaccinated. At 18 months my daughter had an adverse reaction, she completely changed. Her speech regressed, she became aggressive and emotionally, she was overwhelmed by the slighted thing. She suffered tummy pains daily and symptoms of what doctors described as being IBS.
Nevertheless, we went on to vaccinate my then newborn son. Following his 6-month vaccines, he became very unwell. His reflux and colic regressed back to newborn status. He developed severe eczema and a severe case of croup. His temperature was exceeding 40 degrees for days. He too went on to suffer horrible stomach issues.
We had range of tests run which showed extremely impaired gut health and severe aluminum toxicity. It has taken over 2 years and incredibly hard work to make progress with them. It’s an ongoing battle.
I now have a 3 month old little girl. There is no way I am going to risk anything with her. I refuse to put our family through what we went through with the our eldest two.
I am a teacher and my maternity leave ends in weeks. I will not be returning to work as childcare will be an issue for both my 3 year old and my youngest. Out of hours school care will also be an issue.
At this point, we will rely on family tax to supplement my husband’s income until my youngest is of school age and even then, returning will be dependent on before and after school care costs. This law is outrageous, it’s blackmail and financial coercion on a massive scale.
My son is 5 and my daughter is 2, they are both partially immunised and I am neither pro or fully against immunisation but I am completely for the right to decide on what should be put in your child’s body and what risks you choose acceptable medically.
I was going to start looking for work this year however, due to the new legislation, I cannot afford to be at work and I am now waiting it out at home with my daughter to see if anything changes with the legislation. I don’t understand how if it isn’t illegal to ‘not vaccinate’, we are discriminated against.
This legislation creates an elitist society where only the rich get to decide what is good for their children.
Hello, I am a sole parent who just moved my son into a community daycare/preschool which he loves. I did not know these new laws were coming into effect about the no jab no pay and spent all of this year trying to get my son an exemption as he has been very ill for the last 18 months- 2 years (he is 3).
I will have to remove him from childcare and as I was about to recommence work, I will not be able to. This will also be detrimental to my son as he has just settled in.
I cannot afford the $90/day for childcare. I currently get 2/3 of this back as a sole parent without income- we live my mother who is ill.
I have until this Friday to respond to the government or else I will lose my childcare rebate.
I would be vaccinating under exteame pressure and financial duress.
Surely this is illegal?
I need help as my son was vaccinated 2 years ago and has been chronically ill.
I am under pressure to ‘catch up’ or I won’t get rebates for his childcare.
I have no choice as a sole parent with no income.
Any help
Please
I am a mother of ten children this has a emotional effect on myself that is deep. Like we are not accepted by the society as a whole. I have lost child care and it is a little harder now.
To read the first two parts of these impact statements, please click the following links:
https://avn.org.au/no-jab-no-pay/families-suffering-share-story/
https://avn.org.au/2016/03/stories-families-adversely-affected-no-jab-no-payplay/
