Premier Daniel Andrews should apologise for his disgraceful dishonesty and health scare campaign on the flu vaccination and children. Vaccination against the flu is a serious public health issue and has been above politics – until now.

Daniel Andrews has again politicised the flu season and we again reject the Victorian Labor Government’s assertion.

Daniel Andrews has been caught out again deliberately and irresponsibly politicising the National Immunisation Program.

It is highly hypocritical and dangerously irresponsible of Victorian Labor to raise these issues when in 2018 Victoria under-ordered and the Federal Government had to step in and secure additional flu vaccines to cover their failure.

This outrageous behaviour by the Andrews Government comes on the back of their continued use of taxpayers’ funding to run a blatant political campaign, including advertising during Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Will Bill Shorten step in today and request Daniel Andrews halt the advertising, when the major political parties have agreed to stop advertising on Anzac Day? Or is he happy to have Daniel Andrews run his campaign for him in defiance of the agreement and with no respect for the significance of Anzac Day?

Last year alone, the Morrison Government invested $430 million in vaccines and activities which boost immunisation. This includes free vaccines against 17 vaccine preventable diseases, including 14 diseases for children aged four years or under.

We continue to fund all new vaccines and medicines that are recommended by the medical experts.

Unlike Labor who in 2011 took the unprecedented step of stopping listing new medicines on the PBS, when Bill Shorten was Assistant Treasurer, because Labor could not manage the economy or the budget.

Labor’s 2011-12 Budget stated “given the current fiscal environment the listing of some medicines would be deferred until fiscal circumstances permit”. This included medicines for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, schizophrenia, endometriosis and IVF amongst others.

Under the National Health Act 1953, in order for a vaccine to be listed on the National Immunisation Program, it must be recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).

To date, no recommendation has been made by the medical experts on the PBAC to expand our already world class flu vaccination program and no application has ever been made by a vaccine company or the Victorian Government.

This highlights the hypocrisy of Daniel Andrews’ claim.