Keeping track of your child’s vaccinations is easier when you know what is due and when. Victoria’s childhood vaccination schedule follows the National Immunisation Program, with free vaccines from birth to four years, more at school, and a few extras funded by the Victorian Government. The state schedule was updated on 1 October 2026, so it is a good time to check where your child is up to. This guide sets out each age, explains how No Jab No Play affects childcare and kinder enrolment, and shows how Harpley Doctors in Werribee can help.
Key Takeaways
- Routine childhood vaccines are free under the National Immunisation Program for children who hold or are eligible for a Medicare card.
- Vaccines are scheduled at birth, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 18 months, and 4 years, plus a yearly flu vaccine from 6 months to under 5 years.
- In Victoria, children must be up to date for their age to enrol in childcare and kindergarten under No Jab No Play.
- Missed vaccines can be caught up for free, and your GP can check your child’s record.
How the childhood vaccination schedule works
The National Immunisation Program (NIP) provides routine childhood vaccines free of charge to protect children from serious infections. In Victoria, the state Department of Health publishes the Immunisation schedule Victoria and vaccine eligibility criteria, which follows the NIP and adds a small number of state-funded vaccines. To get free NIP vaccines, a person must hold or be eligible for a Medicare card.
Each visit is timed so your child is protected when they are most at risk. Some children need extra doses because of a medical condition, so it is worth asking your GP whether anything beyond the routine schedule applies. You can read more about how we approach childhood immunisations in Werribee on our service page.
Victoria’s childhood vaccination schedule, age by age
The list below summarises the routine schedule for infants and children, as set out by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the Victorian schedule.
- Birth: hepatitis B, usually offered in hospital.
- 2 months (can be given from 6 weeks): a combination vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), plus rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines.
- 4 months: the same three vaccines as at 2 months.
- 6 months: the combination vaccine again. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants and some infants with medical risk conditions also get an extra pneumococcal dose.
- 6 months to under 5 years: a flu vaccine every year.
- 12 months: meningococcal ACWY, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) and pneumococcal.
- 18 months: Hib, measles-mumps-rubella-chickenpox (MMRV), and diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough.
- 4 years: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio.
Timing matters most for the rotavirus vaccine. The Victorian Immunisation schedule October 2026 limits the first dose to 6 to 14 weeks of age and the second to 10 to 24 weeks, so try not to delay those early visits. The yearly flu vaccine for young children is covered on our seasonal vaccines page.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can also get some extra vaccines for free, including meningococcal B and additional pneumococcal doses.
At school and if a vaccine was missed
Vaccination continues at secondary school. In Year 7, students are offered the HPV vaccine and a diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough booster, and in Year 10 a meningococcal ACWY vaccine. Children who missed a routine vaccine can still get it free under the NIP until they turn 20, with a longer window for the HPV vaccine.
If your family has moved from overseas or your child’s record has gaps, book a catch-up vaccination appointment. Refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age can also get catch-up NIP vaccines for free.
Not sure whether your child is up to date? Our GPs can check their record and give any vaccines that are due, seven days a week in Harpley Town Centre.
No Jab No Play and childcare enrolment
Under Victoria’s No Jab No Play laws, children must be up to date with the immunisations due for their age to enrol in approved early childhood education and care services. That includes long day care, kindergarten (including three- and four-year-old kinder), occasional care and family day care. It does not apply to primary or secondary school enrolment, outside school hours care or playgroups.
The evidence services accept is an Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Immunisation Register, which shows at the top whether your child is up to date. You can get one through your myGov account or ask your doctor, and the Services Australia Australian Immunisation Register page explains how. A child’s flu vaccination status is not assessed for No Jab No Play, and some children are eligible to enrol under a 16-week support period. Keeping to the childhood vaccination schedule also matters for family assistance payments, because children need to meet NIP requirements to receive them.
Extra protection for babies in Victoria
Protection can start before birth. A whooping cough vaccine is recommended and free in each pregnancy between 20 and 32 weeks, and our article on the whooping cough vaccine during pregnancy explains why. A maternal RSV vaccine is also free through the NIP later in pregnancy, and both can be discussed as part of your antenatal and pregnancy care.
After birth, the Victorian Government funds an RSV immunisation product for eligible infants and young children. Our page on RSV vaccination in Harpley covers the basics, and our guide to RSV in infants explains when a sick baby needs a GP. Victoria also funds one early MMR dose for infants aged 6 to 11 months travelling overseas, which does not replace their routine 12 and 18 month doses. If a trip is coming up, our travel medicine service can help plan it.
Vaccination visits at Harpley Doctors
Harpley Doctors offers immunisations for the whole family at T20, 1 Hindson Street, Werribee. Plan to stay for at least 15 minutes after any vaccine, as recommended, so allow a little extra time. A vaccination visit is also a convenient time for child health and developmental checks.
All consultations are bulk billed. You can book online through HealthEngine or call (03) 8731 1330, and walk-ins are always welcome. Whether you are planning your baby’s first visits or checking the childhood vaccination schedule before kinder enrolment, our GPs can help you stay on track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are childhood vaccines free in Victoria?
Routine vaccines on the National Immunisation Program are free for children who hold or are eligible for a Medicare card. At Harpley Doctors, all consultations are bulk billed.
What if my child is behind on their vaccinations?
Missed routine vaccines can be given free under the NIP until your child turns 20. Book a visit with one of our GPs, who can check the record and plan the catch-up doses. You can meet our doctors on our team page.
How do I prove my child is up to date for kinder?
Services ask for an Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Immunisation Register. You can download it through myGov or ask your doctor for a copy.
How long do we need to stay after a vaccination?
The Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends staying for at least 15 minutes after any vaccination.
Book your child’s next vaccination with Harpley Doctors. We are open seven days, and you can call us or book online through HealthEngine.