I, Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Ageing, make the following rules.
Dated 12 March 2026
Mark Butler
Minister for Health and Ageing
Contents
Part 1—Preliminary
1 Name
2 Commencement
3 Authority
4 Schedules
5 Definitions
Part 2—Prescribed bodies
6 Primary health networks
7 Bodies facilitating research relating to vaccines
8 Other prescribed bodies
9 Officers, employees or contractors of prescribed bodies
Part 3—Reporting
10 Reporting requirement relating to certain relevant vaccinations administered in Australia
Schedule 1—Repeals
Australian Immunisation Register Rule 2015
Part 1—Preliminary
1 Name
This instrument is the Australian Immunisation Register Rules 2026.
2 Commencement
(1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.
Commencement information
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
Provisions Commencement Date/Details
The whole of this instrument 1 April 2026. 1 April 2026
Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.
(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.
3 Authority
This instrument is made under the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015.
4 Schedules
Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.
5 Definitions
Note: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in the Act, including the following:
(a) AI register;
(b) provider identification information;
(c) recognised vaccination provider;
(d) relevant vaccination.
In this instrument:
Act means the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015.
national immunisation program vaccine means a vaccine provided under section 9B of the National Health Act 1953.
Note: In 2026, the vaccines that are authorised to be provided, and the circumstances in which those vaccines are authorised to be provided, under section 9B of the National Health Act 1953 are specified in the National Health (Immunisation Program — Designated Vaccines) Determination 2014 (No.1).
specified national immunisation program vaccine means a national immunisation program vaccine other than a vaccine for influenza or Q fever.
Part 2—Prescribed bodies
6 Primary health networks
A person is a prescribed body for the purposes of the definition of that expression in section 4 of the Act if, under a funding agreement:
(a) in force with the Commonwealth; and
(b) made under the program administered by the Commonwealth known as the Primary Health Network Grant Program;
the person has agreed to operate a primary health network for a region of Australia.
7 Bodies facilitating research relating to vaccines
Each of the following persons is a prescribed body for the purposes of the definition of that expression in section 4 of the Act:
(a) the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare;
(b) the Commonwealth, to the extent that it acts through the Australian Bureau of Statistics;
(c) the Commonwealth, to the extent that it acts through the Australian Institute of Family Studies;
(d) The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (Randwick and Westmead) (incorporating The Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children).
8 Other prescribed bodies
Each of the following persons is a prescribed body for the purposes of the definition of that expression in section 4 of the Act:
(a) New South Wales, to the extent that it acts through the NSW Ministry of Health;
(b) Victoria, to the extent that it acts through the Department of Health;
(c) Queensland, to the extent that it acts through the Department of Health;
(d) Western Australia, to the extent that it acts through the Department of Health;
(e) South Australia, to the extent that it acts through the Department for Health and Wellbeing;
(f) Tasmania, to the extent that it acts through the Department of Health;
(h) the Australian Capital Territory, to the extent that it acts through the Health and Community Services Directorate;
(i) the Northern Territory, to the extent that it acts through NT Health.
9 Officers, employees or contractors of prescribed bodies
A person is a prescribed body for the purposes of the definition of that expression in section 4 of the Act if:
(a) the person performs work relating to the purposes of the AI register; and
(b) the person performs that work because the person is an officer or employee of, or is engaged by, another person who is a prescribed body because of another section of this Part.
Part 3—Reporting
10 Reporting requirement relating to certain relevant vaccinations administered in Australia
For the purposes of subsection 10A(1) of the Act:
(a) the following kinds of relevant vaccinations are prescribed:
(i) a relevant vaccination for the coronavirus known as COVID‑19;
(ii) a relevant vaccination for influenza;
(iii) a relevant vaccination of a person with a specified national immunisation program vaccine;
(iv) a relevant vaccination for the Japanese encephalitis virus; and
(b) the prescribed circumstance is that a relevant vaccination is administered on or after 1 April 2026; and
(c) the prescribed period is the period of:
(i) if it is reasonably practicable to do so—24 hours after a relevant vaccination is administered; or
(ii) otherwise—10 business days after a relevant vaccination is administered; and
(d) the prescribed manner is an electronic form or, if that is not reasonably practicable, a written form; and
(e) the following information is prescribed:
(i) the name, contact details, date of birth and gender of the individual to whom a relevant vaccination is administered;
(ii) if that individual has a medicare number (within the meaning of Part VII of the National Health Act 1953)—that number;
(iii) if that individual has a healthcare identifier (within the meaning of the Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010)—that identifier (if known);
(iv) provider identification information for the recognised vaccination provider who administers a relevant vaccination;
(v) the day of the vaccination;
(vi) the brand, dose number and batch number of the administered vaccine;
(vii) for vaccines prescribed under subparagraph 10(a)(iv) – information about the route of administration;
(viii) the vaccine type information;
(ix) information about whether the individual was pregnant at the time of vaccine administration (via the antenatal field).