The use of vaccines to prevent the outbreak and spread of diseases in society has been widespread for decades.

Vaccination has been provided for the most vulnerable – children.

There were and are few parents who would object to public health measures to protect their off-spring.

But, with safety measures in place memories have faded about the dangers posed by communicable diseases – some potentially fatal - and their ability to spread in the schoolyard or other high-contact areas. 

Anti-vaccination groups have sprung up and use the internet to push their views – some of them quite shaky. Some people have become blasé and even ignorant about vaccination and the reasons it is so important.

Despite overwhelmingly strong arguments from governments, educators, the medical profession and others, some people refuse to vaccinate.

But, they are only a tiny minority in Australia, where the vaccination rate is about 97 per cent. But, their numbers have been slowly rising.

Under the plan parents who refuse vaccinations could lose up to $15,000 per child in childcare and family tax payments from January 1, 2016.

Exemptions for medical reasons would continue but parents citing religious reasons would have eligibility for payments tightened. It may be seen as a harsh move. But, there will be little sympathy for anyone who may put children at risk.