New $12 m vaccination campaign: Hunt

The Morrison government is urging parents to have their children vaccinated through a new $12 million campaign, aimed particularly at families in remote parts of Australia.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said while immunisation rates in Australia are generally high - almost 95 per cent of five-year-old children are fully vaccinated - there are areas where the immunisation rate is too low.

"It is these areas of low coverage which pose risks to the community, especially to people who can't be vaccinated, like newborns and those with medical reasons." Mr Hunt said in a statement on Sunday.

"The science is in and the medical experts' advice is absolute - vaccinations save lives and protect lives and they are an essential party of a health society."

The eight-week campaign will help parents access evidence based information to support their decision making about childhood vaccinations.