Australia's national vaccination schedule, first introduced in 1997 as a joint program of the federal, state and territory governments, which funds every vaccine on the schedule for Medicare eligible children and adults. The program covers childhood vaccinations from birth to age four, adolescent vaccinations at ages 12 to 13 and 14 to 16, and adult vaccinations for pregnant women and people aged 65 to 70 and older, with expanded access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those with specific medical conditions. As of September 2019 national coverage stood at 94.27 percent for one-year-olds, 91.43 percent for two-year-olds and 94.82 percent for five-year-olds, and while the schedule is not mandatory, receiving its vaccinations is a condition of some federal family tax benefits and early childhood education enrollment, subject to medical exemptions.
Facts
Program Statusactive; most recently updated 1 April 2019 1 Sponsoring BodyCommonwealth, state and territory governments of Australia 1 Target Populationall Australians eligible for Medicare from birth through adulthood, with additional funded doses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people with specific medical conditions 1 Health Goalreduce the prevalence of preventable diseases and increase vaccination coverage in the Australian population 1 Geographic ScopeAustralia, nationwide, funded jointly by federal, state and territory governments 1 Measured Resultsnational coverage of 94.27 percent for one-year-olds, 91.43 percent for two-year-olds and 94.82 percent for five-year-olds at September 2019, per the Australian Government Department of Health 1 Program status (class) Classification
Program KindVaccination or Immunization Program 1 Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: National Immunisation Program
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead paragraph, sentence 1, naming the NIP abbreviation
The National Immunisation Program (NIP) and National Immunisation Program Schedule (NIP Schedule) is the national vaccination schedule for all children and adults in Australia.
History section, sentence 2, on program establishment
The program was set up by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.
Lead paragraph, sentence 2, on the joint federal-state funding arrangement
The program is a joint federal, state and territory government initiative that funds all vaccinations on the schedule for all people eligible for Medicare.
Lead paragraph, sentence 3, stating the program's aim
It aims to reduce the prevalence of preventable diseases and increase vaccination coverage in the Australian population.
Lead section, final paragraph, sentence on additional funded groups
Additional or early vaccinations are funded for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples and people with specific medical conditions due to a higher rate or risk of infection and serious illness.
History section, sentence 1, on the 1997 introduction
The National Immunisation Program was first introduced in Australia in 1997.
History section, sentence on the most recent 2019 update
The most recent update to the National Immunisation Program was effective since 1 April 2019.
History section, coverage-rate list, one-year-old figure for September 2019
94.27% for all one-year-olds
- Wikipedia 'National Immunisation Program': present-tense description as Australia's current vaccination schedule; checked 2026-09-27.
Program classification, entity description sentence
Australia's national vaccination schedule, first introduced in 1997 as a joint program of the federal, state and territory governments, which funds every vaccine on the schedule for Medicare eligible children and adults.
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