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Below: on December 17, 2012, the ABC’s current affairs panel on The Drum discussed the New South Wales Department of Fair Trading ordering the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) to change its name or risk being shut down.
Below: On November 25, 2012, the ABC’s 24 hour news channel’s Breakfast News ran an interview with Suzanne Corey, the current president of the Australian Academy of Science. Professor Corey discusses the rise in conscientious objectors to vaccinations. Below: This is a report broadcast on October 13, 2011, detailing the compulsory vaccination of members of the United States Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) with the flu vaccine (SHOTEX). Below: This is a video that opens with some of the claims made by the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN). It then disputes these claims and questions the AVN’s handling of its finances. It was produced and posted by Paul Gallagher, a long-time opponent of the AVN. |
 Web links, documents |
On August 13, 2003, the British newspaper, The Guardian, published an opinion piece by Kate Figes titled 'A Shot in the Dark'. The piece is in part a supportive review of Mary Alexander's 'Calling the Shots: Childhood Vaccinations' which details its author's reservations about the mass immunisation of children. Figes article also outlines her own reservations about the practice.
The full text of this article can be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2003/aug/13/familyandrelationships.medicineandhealth
The Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) is a lobby group which runs an Internet site essentially opposing the practice of vaccinating children en masse. The site claims neutrality on the issue; however, this has been disputed. There are those who claim that the name of the Network is misleading as it is essentially an anti-vaccination network.
The AVN's Internet site can be accessed at http://avn.org.au/
In December, 2009, the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance published a factsheet titled 'Homoeopathy and vaccination'. The information sheet reveals the limitations and lack of research regarding homeopathic treatments.
The full text of this information sheet can be found at http://www.ncirs.edu.au/immunisation/fact-sheets/homeopathy-vaccination-fact-sheet.pdf
'Elements of Health' is an Australian homeopathy Internet site run by Melanie and Daniel Creedy.
The site includes a lengthy account of how homeopathic remedies might be used to supplement or replace standard vaccinations.
This material can be found at http://www.elementsofhealth.com.au/uploads/ImmunisationProgramInfo.pdf
On September 18, 2012, Peggy Emch posted an entry on her parenting blog, The Primal Parent, titled 'Unvaccinated Kids Put Vaccinated Kids at Risk? Not So Fast!' The piece claims that unvaccinated children do not place others at risk of contracting diseases. The full text of the article can be found at http://theprimalparent.com/2012/09/18/unvaccinated-kids-put-vaccinated-kids-at-risk-not-so-fast/
On October 5, 2012, The Conversation published an opinion piece titled 'No, you're not entitled to your opinion' by Patrick Stokes, a lecturer in Philosophy at Deakin University.
The piece argues that some opinions are far more credible than others and thus entitled to far greater weight. The principal example Stokes gives is the opinions of the anti-vaccination lobby which Stokes argues have been comprehensively discredited by wide-ranging scientific research.
The full text of this article can be found at http://theconversation.edu.au/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978
On November 25, 2012, The Courier Mail published an opinion piece titled 'Science is clear - vaccinate children' written by Sir Gustav Nossal, an Australian research biologist specialising in immunology. The piece argues that the risks associated with immunisation are generally very small and that the benefits for both the individual and the community are great.
The full text can be accessed at http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/science-is-clear-vaccinate-children-says-research-biologist-sir-gustav-nossal/story-fndo1z0b-1226523794828
On November 26, 2012, The Australian Academy of Science released a publication titled 'The Science of Immunisation: Questions and Answers'. The purpose of the publication is to allay public fears about vaccinations. The booklet outlines the advantages of vaccination and seeks to explain that many of the apprehensions about vaccinations are misplaced.
Among the questions addressed are: What is immunisation? What is in a vaccine? Who benefits from vaccines? Are vaccines safe? How are vaccines shown to be safe? What does the future hold for vaccination?
The full text of this publication can be accessed at http://www.science.org.au/policy/documents/AAS_Immunisation_FINAL_LR_v3.pdf
On November 27, 2012, The Conversation published an opinion piece titled 'Parents' decisions about vaccination and the art of gentle persuasion' written by Julie Leask, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney. Leask argues that the most effective way to convince uncertain parents of the value of immunisation is via respectful, gentle persuasion.
The full text of this article can be found at http://theconversation.edu.au/parents-decisions-about-vaccination-and-the-art-of-gentle-persuasion- 9969
On December 19, 2012, The Conversation published a report by Rachel Dunlop, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Technology, Sydney, titled, 'Anti-vaccination network told to change its name or be shut down'. The report details the New South Wales Department of Fair Trading ordering the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) to change its name or risk being shut down. The ruling was made because the AVN's named was deemed to be misleading as it does not indicate that the Network is opposed to immunisation.
The full text of this article can be accessed at http://theconversation.edu.au/anti-vaccination-network-told-to-change-its-name-or-be-shut-down-11368
