Vaccination and the law

Who has the final word on whether an individual child is vaccinated and when can disputes about vaccination end up in court?

A recent program on ABC Radio National's Law Report, Vaccination and the Law, included an interview with Professor Cameron Stewart from the University of Sydney Law School who discussed cases where the courts have stepped in to resolve disagreements between parents over the vaccination of their child.  He also referred to some recent cases where even though both parents did not want their child to be vaccinated, the courts have deemed that as the mother had Hepatitis B, the child was exposed to significant risk and should be vaccinated.  

John Wardle, Research Fellow with the University of Technology, Sydney, discussed the need for better education for parents, and the changes in NSW legislation this year where parents have to have their objections to vaccination recorded and signed by an immunisation provider before their non-vaccinated child can enrol in a child care centre.