The City of Stonnington (Stonnington) has renewed its call for the Victorian Government to reverse new charges on a critical immunisation platform, warning the move will strain council budgets, compromise access for families and risk the health of vulnerable children.
From 1 July, councils using the Central Immunisation Records Victoria (CIRV) system are now being charged an average of $2.32 per immunisation encounter, with annual fees capped at $25,000. Councils that exit the system will lose full access and be placed into a read-only handover period.
This change comes despite bipartisan support for a key recommendation of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Local Government Funding and Services, which called for the State to fully fund the CIRV platform. In its long-awaited response released last week, the Government formally rejected that recommendation, even as immunisation rates continue to decline and preventable diseases re-emerge.
Stonnington raised serious concerns in December 2024, when it wrote to the Minister for Health warning that the proposed CIRV charges would create unacceptable financial pressures and threaten the delivery of free, local childhood vaccination programs.
"This is not just cost shifting. It is a direct hit to community health," said Stonnington Mayor Cr Melina Sehr.
"Vaccination is one of the most effective public health tools we have. Yet we are being forced to either reduce services, charge families, or cut other essential programs to fund a platform we were told would be free."
In September 2024, The Age reported that councils had been repeatedly assured CIRV access would remain free when the system was introduced. Stonnington confirmed at the time that it delivered 8,888 vaccinations in 2023–24, forming part of the 430,000 doses councils provide to Victorian children each year.
Despite this role, external funding remains severely inadequate. Stonnington's 2024 letter confirmed that just 18 per cent of its immunisation costs are covered by state and federal sources, forcing Council to contribute more than $317,000 of its own funds in 2024–25 to sustain the program.
While councils are required under the Health Act to provide immunisation services, the State's decision to impose a new fee on CIRV risks shrinking the reach and quality of these programs. Outreach services may be reduced, clinics scaled back, or new vaccines left undelivered.
"This co-payment represents just 0.2 per cent of the State's Health Protection budget, yet places an unfair and disproportionate burden on local government," Cr Sehr said.
"And it does not stop here. While the charge is currently $2.32 per immunisation, there is nothing to stop it increasing to $10 or $20 in future. Once fees like this are introduced, the door is open for higher costs down the track."
Stonnington is also concerned about the long-term risks of fragmentation if councils are forced to walk away from CIRV altogether. The Council has already been approached by private immunisation providers but remains firmly of the view that community health data belongs in a single, central, secure system.
"If councils abandon CIRV, records could be split across multiple private platforms, raising serious questions about data security, quality and accessibility," Cr Sehr said.
"This is a public health system, and it should stay in public hands."
Stonnington also warns the decision is inconsistent with the State's own health priorities. Vaccination coverage in children under five remains below the national 95 per cent target, while both measles and whooping cough are resurgent in Victoria. The Government has recently committed to funding RSV vaccinations for infants but has not provided any support for councils to administer the vaccine.
"We are being asked to promote the RSV vaccine, deliver it at no cost to families, and then pay the State Government a fee through CIRV for doing so. That is an extraordinary situation," Cr Sehr said.
"Our most vulnerable community members, including babies and young children, should not be caught in the middle of a funding dispute. Stonnington remains committed to working with the Victorian Government to protect public health. But this charge must be scrapped and the CIRV platform fully funded to ensure councils can continue delivering these essential services."
