Western Australian Current Acts

PUBLIC HEALTH ACT 2016 - SECT 142

142 .         Regulations relating to immunisation status of children and control of disease

        (1)         Without limiting section 304(1), regulations may —

            (a)         require the person in charge of a school, community kindergarten or child care service, when directed to do so by the Chief Health Officer, to give a report to the Chief Health Officer in respect of information given to the person about the immunisation status of —

                  (i)         a child enrolled at the school, community kindergarten or child care service; or

                  (ii)         children enrolled at the school, community kindergarten or child care service;

                and

            (b)         require the person in charge of a school, community kindergarten or child care service, when directed to do so by the Chief Health Officer either when giving a direction under regulations made under paragraph (a) or at a later time, to give to the Chief Health Officer further information necessary to assist in preventing, controlling or abating a public health risk that might foreseeably arise from a child or children not being immunised against a vaccine preventable notifiable infectious disease, including —

                  (i)         the names of, and other identifying information in relation to, the child or children; and

                  (ii)         the names and contact details of the responsible persons for the child or children;

                and

            (c)         in the case of a child at a school, community kindergarten or child care service who has contracted, or is reasonably believed to have contracted, a vaccine preventable notifiable infectious disease, require the person in charge of the school, community kindergarten or child care service to give to the Chief Health Officer a report in respect of the child; and

            (d)         require the person in charge of a school, community kindergarten or child care service, when directed to do so by the Chief Health Officer, to ensure that a child who has not been immunised against a vaccine preventable notifiable infectious disease specified by the Chief Health Officer is not permitted to attend, or participate in an educational programme of, the school, community kindergarten or child care service for the period specified by the Chief Health Officer; and

            (e)         require the person in charge of a school, community kindergarten or child care service, when directed to do so by the Chief Health Officer, to close the whole, or a part, of the school, community kindergarten or child care service for the period specified by the Chief Health Officer to limit or prevent the spread of a vaccine preventable notifiable infectious disease.

        (2)         Despite subsection (1)(a) and (b), the regulations may provide that the person required to provide the relevant report or information when directed to do so by the Chief Health Officer is —

            (a)         the chief executive officer, as defined in the School Education Act 1999 section 229; or

            (b)         if the relevant information is held in an information management system established and maintained by another person or body, that other person or body.

        [Section 142 inserted: No. 14 of 2019 s. 8.]

        [Heading inserted: No. 14 of 2019 s. 8.]