Summary
Date: 13 November 2020
The Department of Health proposed changes to the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 that would make it mandatory for all recognised vaccination providers to submit a record of vaccine administration to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) at the time of vaccination.
Reporting to the AIR is currently voluntary, and while reporting is already very high for childhood and adolescent vaccinations, adult and privately purchased vaccines are not reported to the same extent.
It was proposed that mandatory reporting would come into effect from:
- March 2021 - for COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations
- July 2021 - for National Immunisation Program vaccinations
The RACGP response supported the proposal, and made recommendations to ensure patient access to immunisations would not be negatively impacted. It also sought to highlight the support needed by GPs to meet mandatory reporting requirements.