Victoria's helth minister Jill Hennessy has slammed anti-vaccination campaigners after some of them took to social media to brag about tearing down posters and stealing pamphlets which detail the need for immunisation.
Members of the ‘Vaccine Free Australia’ group on Facebook boasted of their actions online, with one member posting “one less bull*** sign is a small win”, describing how he took down a whooping cough vaccination poster from a Melbourne hospital.
Other group members posted other stories of pamphlets being hid, binned, or stolen from locations including childcare centres as well as hospitals.
The actions prompted an angry response from Ms Hennessy, who spoke out against anti-vax groups and supporters, saying their actions put the lives of young children at risk.
“I’m horrified that these people spreading lies and mistruths about vaccination are now deliberately removing important immunisation information from our hospitals,” Ms Hennessy said.
“Refusing to vaccinate your child not only endangers their health, but the health of every other child in our community.
"It is a reflection on the fact they are not motivated by science but the quackery of the anti-vax movement," Ms Hennessy said.
“The science is crystal clear.”
Australia’s ‘No Jab, No Play’ laws will come into effect on January 1, 2016, which will ban children from childcare facilities if their families do not provide proof of injections.
Some of the Facebook pages in question have been shut down, however anti-vax groups such as ‘No Vaccines Australia’ remain with more than 3,000 likes.
