By Brendan Rees
Liberal candidate for Cranbourne Ann-Marie Hermans is calling on the State Government to step up on free flu vaccinations for Cranbourne children.
It comes as the Liberal Nationals Government have promised to provide free flu vaccinations for all Victorian children between the ages of six months and five years old if elected to Government later this year.
“Daniel Andrews is clearly not showing that he cares about the average Victorian family and the welfare of their children. It’s completely unacceptable,” said Ms Hermans.
“Influenza is a deadly disease and here we have hundreds of families with young children moving in every month and what is the Andrews Government doing to help them?”
Shadow Minister for Health, Mary Wooldridge said flu vaccines needed to be made freely available to young kids to ensure they were properly protected.
“Influenza is a deadly disease, and new data shows nearly 50,000 Victorians suffered from it last year,” she said.
“Young children are particularly vulnerable; last year in the City of Casey there were 355 cases of flu in kids under five, a 492 per cent increase from the year before, which saw only 60 cases.”
Ms Wooldridge said Premier Daniel Andrews was refusing to fund these vital vaccines for Victoria’s youngest children, insisting it was the Federal Government’s responsibility.
“This head-in-the-sand approach is in stark contrast to the NSW government, who announced last week they would fund free flu vaccines for children under five following the horror flu season of 2017.”
“The number of kids suffering from the flu has skyrocketed in just one year in Casey, yet Daniel Andrews is sitting on his hands when it comes to funding urgently needed vaccinations.”
Ms Wooldridge said it “beggars belief” that Mr Andrews was flatly refusing to fund flu vaccinations for kids when they prevent illness and save lives.
“If it’s good enough for the NSW, Queensland and WA Governments to ensure their kids are protected from flu, why is Daniel Andrews persistently fobbing off this serious issue to others?”
Minister for Health Jill Hennessy said the Liberals could not be trusted when it comes to immunisation after cutting whooping cough vaccinations that protect Victorian babies.
“This is half-baked and under-funded – the numbers just don’t add up.”
“If they really want to make a difference this flu season, they should join us in lobbying Malcolm Turnbull to put it on the National immunisation Program for all kids under five,” she said.
