Some people are at higher risk of vaccine-preventable diseases due to certain conditions, underlying disease, or other risk factors. Vaccines are funded under the National Immunisation and the Victorian Immunisation schedule for these special-risk groups.
Key messages
- The National Immunisation provides free essential vaccines to eligible people
- Refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age can access free NIP catch-up vaccines.
- Additional vaccines are recommended for:
- people with medical risk factors
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- In Victoria some special-risk groups are eligible to receive some vaccines for free.
- Providers can access resources to support catch-up vaccination
Vulnerable citizens
Some people facing social or economic challenges may not have access to vaccines during their period of eligibility. Vulnerable citizens are vaccinated based on an individual assessment by an immunisation provider.
Children and adolescents in out-of-home care
Children and adolescents living in out-of-home care are often behind with their immunisations.
Carers can give a GP permission to vaccinate a child in their care if they have official authorisation.
This authorisation can be a:
- standard authorisation from the child’s care organisation, or
- child-specific authorisation from Child Protection.
These documents allow carers to make decisions about routine medical care, including vaccinations.
- Mature may be used if the Immunisation Provider determines that an adolescent can provide their own valid consent for vaccination. Young people must meet the requirements of the ‘mature minor’ or ‘Gillick principle’. This principle is enshrined in section 4 of the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act .
- To enrol in childcare, a child must have an immunisation history statement showing which immunisations they have received.
- Centrelink family may stop if a child is not up to date with vaccinations.
People with medical risk conditions
Extra vaccines are recommended for people with certain medical conditions.
Please refer to the below link for more information:
- Immunisation recommendations for people with certain medical risk
- Victorian Immunisation schedule and eligibility criteria
- PneumoSmart for pneumococcal vaccine recommendations
- National Immunisation
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Additional vaccines are recommended at certain ages.
- National Immunisation
- Vaccination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
- Supporting conversations about vaccinations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Refugees and humanitarian entrants
Specified vaccines are funded for all ages, regardless of Medicare status
- Catch-up immunisations for refugees and
- Catch up vaccinations for refugees and asylum (information in eight community languages on Health Translations).
Catch-up vaccination
Resources are available to support immunisation providers to develop catch-up vaccination plans for eligible people in these special risk groups.
Reviewed 23 September 2025