Immunisation certificates and records
Immunisation records
All vaccinations for your baby or child up to 6 years of age are recorded in your My Health and Development Record (green Child Health Record).
Council also maintains a database of all immunisations administered at Council sessions and sends records of all immunisation to the Australian Immunisation Register.
The Australian Immunisation Register is an all of life register. Those with Medicare are automatically enrolled on it. Even if your child is not enrolled, they will be added to the Immunisation Register once Medicare receives their immunisation details from your immunisation provider. Overseas records can be added with or without Medicare. The register only records vaccine given since 1996. Previous or more complete records may be held with your immunisation service provider.
What is an immunisation status certificate?
An immunisation status certificate is a current statement showing the vaccinations that your child has received.
The only accepted document to prove immunisation status for the purpose of enrolling at childcare or kindergarten is an Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Immunisation Register.
Your Child Health Record or a letter or report from your service provider (e.g. GP or local council) is not an immunisation status certificate.
The Victorian 'No Jab, No Play' legislation requires that an immunisation status certificate showing your child is up to date for their age is supplied on enrollment to kindergarten or childcare. If you have missed immunisations, catch up immunisations sessions are available.
By law, your child must have an immunisation status certificate to start primary school or if you switch your child to a different primary school in Victoria.
If your child has not received any vaccinations, you must still provide a certificate.This certificate assists health authorities to protect children in the event of a vaccine-preventable disease occurrence in a school. An unvaccinated child may be excluded from school until the risk of infection has passed.
How do I get an immunisation status certificate?
You will automatically receive an Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Immunisation Register when your child is 5 years of age (after your child has received the 4-year-old vaccine), or you can request one at any time.
You use this Child History Statement as your immunisation status certificate.
If your child has completed all immunisations, but you have not received a statement, or your statement is incomplete you can contact the Australian Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809.
You can order a copy of your child's immunisation statement at any time by:
- contacting the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809
- attending a Medicare or Centrlink office
You can also check, print and download your child’s immunisation history at any time by using:
- your Medicare online account through myGov. If you don’t have a myGov account, you can create one and then link it to your Medicare online account, or
- the Express Plus Medicare mobile app. If you don’t have the app, you can download it to your mobile device.
Council is able to supply you with a copy of vaccines given by us if your child has received their immunisations through us. You will not be able to use this for enrolment in to child care, kindergarten or school.
Council can also access your child's Immunisation History Statement via the Australian Immunisation Register and can email a copy to you if requested. This is the same Immunisation History Statment that would be posted to you by the Australian Immunisation Register.
Letters from Centrelink regarding immunisations overdue / immunisations not up to date
If you have received a letter from Centrelink identifying that your child's immunisations are not up to date please contact the Australian Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809.
If you believe your child has received all of their childhood immunisations it may be that the child's Medicare number hasn't been registered or re-registered in order to create a link so Centrelink can access and verify your child's immunisation status on the immunisation register.
It may also be that your service provider has not submitted the vaccines given to the Australian Immunisation Register. In this case please contact your service provider and request that they add the vaccines on your behalf.
A link can be created by calling the immunisation register on 1800 653 809 or linking Medicare to Centrelink on your myGov account.
If your Medicare number is not linked payments may be affected despite your child being up to date with immunisations.
Additionally, children over 14 years of age need to request the link over the phone ot create their own myGov registration for a Medicare online account.
Parents of children over the age of 14 will not be able to access Medicare or Australian Immunisation Register information through their own Medicare online account.