16 October, 2015 The Committee Secretary Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs PO Box 6100 Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Committee Secretary, Re: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Social Services Legislation Amendment (No Jab, No Pay) Bill 2015 I am a Solicitor who has practiced in areas of law that have pertained to the issue of vaccination. Consequently, having conversed with professionals in various scientific and medical fields of practice on this issue and prepared matters for hearing based on their expertise, I make the following submission to emphasize the extent that the proposed legislation breaches fundamental human rights and the government’s responsibilities to it’s families and children. According to the Social Services Legislation Amendment (No jab, No pay) Bill 2015 Explanatory Memorandum and Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights: “This Bill will introduce a 2015 Budget measure relevant to families. This Bill amends the immunisation requirements for child care benefit, child care rebate and the family tax benefit Part A supplement. The changes will tighten the existing immunisation requirements for these payments, reinforcing the importance of immunisation and protecting public health, especially for children. From 1 January 2016, this measure makes these payments conditional on meeting the childhood immunisation requirements for children at all ages. Exemptions will only apply for valid medical reasons, or if the Secretary has determined in writing that a child meets the immunisation requirements. The Secretary will be able to determine that a child meets the immunisation requirements after considering any decision-making principles set out in a legislative instrument made by the Minister. Individuals with a conscientious objection will no longer meet the immunisation requirements under subsections 6(3) and 6(4) of the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 (the Family Assistance Act). Immunisation requirements will also be extended to include children of all ages. At present, a child’s vaccination status is only checked at ages one, two and five for the family tax benefit Part A supplement, and up to age seven for the child care payments.” The Financial impact statement further asserts that: “This Bill is expected to produce savings of $508.3 million over the forward estimates.” 1 The Bill is flawed in two respects: 1. Lawfully: a. It’s statements of purpose are incompatible; b. It’s proposed method of application potentially uncertain and arbitrary; c. It is discriminatory, unfair, unjust and violates basic human rights and freedoms; and 2. Methodology: a. It is based on the assumption that vaccines are proven to be safe and effective and that one size fits all; b. There is less need than ever due to high vaccination coverage and very little risk from the diseases vaccines are purported to prevent (as well as those diseases for which no vaccine was introduced en masse). Consequently, and as I expand on further in this submission, the limitations to human rights proposed by this Bill are not in all the circumstances and in the public’s interest reasonable, appropriate or necessary. 1. Legality of the Bill Incompatible statements of purpose 1. The purpose of the Bill is stated as being: “The changes will tighten the existing immunisation requirements for these payments, reinforcing the importance of immunisation and protecting public health, especially for children”, but also, “This Bill is expected to produce savings of $508.3 million over the forward estimates.” It can only be assumed such savings are the consequence of parents choosing not to (or to continue not to) vaccinate their children. Thus, there can be no expectation the legislative changes will in fact reinforce “the importance of immunisation and protect public health, especially for children”, as asserted. 2. The expected savings being a measure of the Bill’s anticipated failure is reason alone to conclude that it should not be legislated. 3. Further, has the cost of these vaccines (and potential harm that can ensue, as detailed below) been taken into consideration in the event these parents do decide to vaccinate on the compulsion of a financial penalty, in which case there may be a significant cost rather than savings produced. Lack of certainty 4. The implementation of the proposed legislation leaves open the question as to what vaccines will be imposed upon Australians and in potentially arbitrary circumstances. 2 Human Rights, fairness and equality Summary 5. This Bill is being quietly introduced into parliament with little or no media discussion of the human rights that will be derogated or analysis of the benefits and risks surrounding the invasive medical procedure that vaccination entails: which current schedule includes around 86 antigen doses contained in 8 injections before 12 months of age, and another 2 by 4 years of age. The linked vaccines and doses are listed in the Standard vaccination schedule for family assistance here: http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/subjects/immunising-your-children 6. In particular, no consideration has been given to the constituents of vaccines; acknowledged links to serious adverse events following vaccination (set out in government publications and manufacturer’s product insert sheets) and mounting health issues, particularly autoimmunity, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Alzheimers disease (identified in expanding published scientific literature). And in comparison to the very low risk of not only contracting a disease but suffering a complication from it, as disease impact has considerably reduced since the early 1900’s and there is over 90% vaccine coverage of the population 1 so as to provide the asserted desirable “herd immunity” & REFERENCES 7, 8, 21 & 67. 7. The Bill proposes to coerce families financially dependent upon government benefits to accept all vaccines for their children and all those that come onto the market and are added to any recommended schedule, ignoring the risks. Consequently, facilitating our children becoming human vaccine trial guinea pigs, due to surrogate endpoint rules relied upon to evaluate efficacy of a vaccine for licensure and lack of requisite study of long term health outcomes. For the large proportion of Australians who are recipients of government benefits there will be no opportunity to refrain from even one scheduled vaccine without financial penalty. 8. Those benefits are: Family Tax Benefit Part A supplement, child care benefit and child care rebate. As is evident from the expected savings, the financial impact is a significant one. 9. The right to refuse a medical procedure totally freely, with no form of penalty, would be denied. A form of compulsion not authorised either expressly or by implication in the Australian Constitution and contrary to our human rights. In effect freedom of choice will remain only with the wealthier sections of society and, consequently, equality denied, with no justification (as set out in more detail below); at potentially great expense to the public and great risk to our children. 10. The proposed reforms raise significant concerns regarding Australia’s international law obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights, in particular the rights set out in the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which covenant recognises “the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family (as) the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”. Informed consent to a medical procedure 11. The Australian Government itself instructs that patients’ right to informed consent must be upheld [at 2.1.3 – of the Australian Government Department of Health, Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th Edition (2013) (AIH)]: “2.1.3 Valid consent Valid consent can be defined as the voluntary agreement by an individual to a proposed procedure, given after sufficient, appropriate and reliable information about the procedure, including the potential risks and benefits, has been conveyed to that individual.2-6 As part of the consent procedure, persons to be vaccinated and/or their parents/carers should be given sufficient information (preferably written) on the risks and benefits of each vaccine, including what adverse events are possible, how common they are and what they should do about them7 (the table inside the front cover of this Handbook, Side effects following immunisation for vaccines used in the National Immunisation Program (NIP) schedule, can be used for this purpose). 3 For consent to be legally valid, the following elements must be present:6,8 1. It must be given by a person with legal capacity, and of sufficient intellectual capacity to understand the implications of being vaccinated. 2. It must be given voluntarily in the absence of undue pressure, coercion or manipulation. 3. It must cover the specific procedure that is to be performed. 4. It can only be given after the potential risks and benefits of the relevant vaccine, risks of not having it and any alternative options have been explained to the individual. The individual must have sufficient opportunity to seek further details or explanations about the vaccine(s) and/or its administration. The information must be provided in a language or by other means the individual can understand. Where appropriate, an interpreter and/or cultural support person should be involved. Consent should be obtained before each vaccination, once it has been established that there are no medical condition(s) that contraindicate vaccination. Consent can be verbal or written. Immunisation providers should refer to their state or territory’s policies on obtaining written consent (refer to Appendix 1 Contact details for Australian, state and territory government health authorities and communicable disease control).” 2 The Australian Constitution 12. All rights of the Australian people are protected except where the Constitution expressly provides otherwise. Pursuant to the Annotated Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia (Quick & Garran, 1900, page 346): “… laws passed by the Parliament of the Commonwealth...