The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is calling on the Federal Government to take a fresh approach to vaccination, as a perfect storm of declining coverage, record-high influenza rates, and circulating vaccine-preventable diseases demands urgent action.
ACN CEO, Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz FACN, said there are many reasons why vaccination rates are sliding, but what's clear is that vaccination saves lives and health dollars.
"We need to make it as easy as possible for people to take this critical step — for their own health and for others," Adjunct Professor Zeitz said.
ACN is calling for the establishment of a Nurse Payment Administrator to manage payments to nurses for administering vaccines in the community — including in pharmacies, general practice and across the growing network of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.
"Nurses deliver more vaccines than any other healthcare professional, yet most of that work is unfunded and happens inside GP clinics," Adjunct Professor Zeitz said.
"GP clinics remain core to vaccine delivery in Australia — but we must acknowledge the real barriers many people face in securing appointments and finding time to bring children in, particularly outside business hours."
Figures from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) show childhood and adolescent vaccination rates have fallen to five-year lows.
In 2025, only 90.5 per cent of 12-month-olds were fully vaccinated, 88.4 per cent at 24 months, and 92.5 per cent at 60 months. That is 4.3, 3.7, and 2.3 percentage points lower than in 2020.
Adjunct Professor Zeitz said many categories are now well below the thresholds required for herd immunity.
"Vaccine fatigue and hesitancy are not the only story here. Access is a very real part of the problem.
"For tired, busy parents, getting a child vaccinated can fall down the list when work and family pressures mount — and sometimes the path to the GP simply feels like one step too many.
"To turn this around, we need to design sustainable business models for nurse-led vaccination clinics that improve accessibility, deliver catch-up services, strengthen outbreak response, and extend coverage to underserved and hard-to-reach populations."
ACN is urging the Federal Government to also support nurses in running community-based clinics — in libraries, youth centres, and high-traffic locations such as childcare centres; as well as seniors centres, men's sheds and bowling clubs to provide increased access to seniors.
"Nurses are ranked the most trusted profession, they are the most geographically dispersed, and the largest group of healthcare professionals," said Adjunct Professor Zeitz. "They are perfectly positioned to help Australians stay well, and ensure Australia retains its status as a global leader in vaccination."
