Senate rejected Antic's bid to pay vaccine objectors
Senator Alex Antic wanted parents who object to vaccines to get family payments again. One is the Child Care Subsidy, which helps families pay for child care. The Senate voted his bill down on 16 September 2026.
Official name: A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Amendment (No Jab No Pay Repeal) Bill 2025
- The bill tried to undo the 2015 No Jab, No Pay rules for family payments.
- Parents who signed a written objection would have counted as meeting the vaccine rules.
- Children aged 7 or older would have met the vaccine rules no matter what.
- The Senate voted it down on 16 September 2026.
Who it affects
- Parents who object to vaccinating their children: They could have kept getting family payments, such as the Child Care Subsidy, after signing a written objection.
- Families with children aged 7 or older: Their children would have met the vaccine rules for family payments no matter what.
- Doctors and nurses who give vaccines: They would have had to talk parents through the gains and risks. Then they would sign a form saying they had done so.
No Jab No Pay rules
Some family payments from the government come with a vaccine rule. To get them, a child has to be up to date with their vaccines. The bill's summary names the Child Care Subsidy. That is the payment that helps families pay for child care.
These rules sit in a 1999 law about family payments. In 2015 Parliament passed a law known as No Jab, No Pay. It took away the let-off for parents who object to vaccines because of their beliefs. It also stretched the vaccine rules to cover older children.
This bill tried to undo those 2015 changes. Its notes explain the bill. They say the aim was to "restore freedom of choice for concerned parents". They say the current rules hit families on lower incomes the hardest.
Who brought the bill
This was a private bill. That means the government did not bring it. Senator Alex Antic brought it into the Senate on 26 November 2025. The source papers do not say which party he is in.
What counts as objecting
The bill would have added a new meaning of "conscientious objection" to the law. A parent would have one if they held a belief that their child should not get the usual vaccines. The belief could be personal, religious, medical or based on their view of life.
The usual vaccines are on an official list. It says which vaccines children are meant to get, and at what ages.
How parents could qualify
A child would have met the vaccine rules if two things happened. First, a health worker allowed to give vaccines would talk with the parent. This could be a family doctor or a nurse. They would talk about the gains and risks of vaccines. The health worker would then sign a form saying that talk took place.
Second, the parent would have to sign a statement saying they object.
The same would apply when a child is cared for by more than one adult. If the other carer had the talk and signed the objection, the child would meet the rules for both.
Say a mother does not want her toddler vaccinated because of her beliefs. Under this bill she would see a doctor, hear about the risks and gains, and sign the forms. She could then keep getting the Child Care Subsidy.
Children aged 7 and over
The bill would also have said that any child aged 7 or older meets the vaccine rules. That would be true whether or not the child had any vaccines.
This would have undone the 2015 change that stretched the rules to older children.
Cost and start date
The notes on the bill do not give a cost.
The bill would have started the day after it became law. A bill becomes law when the Governor-General signs it. The Governor-General is the King's representative in Australia.
Voted down in the Senate
Senator Antic brought in the bill on 26 November 2025. He started the debate on its main idea that day.
The Senate debated the bill on 16 September 2026. The same day it voted no on the main idea of the bill. That means the bill was defeated and will not become law.
How they voted
| Vote | Result |
|---|---|
| Vote on the main idea Senate, 16 September 2026 Labor 18 no, Greens 10 no, One Nation 4 aye, Liberal 1 aye, 3 no, United Australia 1 aye, Australia's Voice 1 no, Independent 1 no, Lambie Network 1 no | Noes won 34 to 6 |
Its journey through Parliament
| 26 Nov 2025 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 26 Nov 2025 | Senate: Second reading moved |
| 16 Sep 2026 | Senate: Second reading debate |
| 16 Sep 2026 | Senate: Second reading negatived |