The NSW government has joined Queensland in expanding free access to FluMist, putting pressure on their contemporaries south of the Murray to do the same.
The GP college praises one state government for their efforts to improve vaccination rates, while again chiding another for their inaction.
Earlier this week the RACGP heaped praise on the NSW government for its decision to expand access to FluMist, the needle-free nasal spray flu vaccination, for children aged two to 17 years and urged GPs to offer the needle-free option to children and adolescents.
“The flu can be really harmful and disruptive to a kid’s life, and they don’t lose their fear of needles when they turn five, or 15,” said Dr Rebekah Hoffman, RACGP NSW and ACT chair. “It’s going to be great for anyone with children and teenagers, especially as we head into the flu season, winter sports, and preparation for HSC assessments and exams.”
Only children aged two to four years had been eligible to receive FluMist via the state’s Nasal Spray Influenza Vaccination Program prior to the expansion. The College had lobbied for older children throughout NSW to be eligible to receive free intranasal flu vaccines as part of its 2026-27 pre-budget submission.
The RACGP is now calling for Victoria, where the needle-free intranasal flu vaccine has an out-of-pocket price tag of roughly $60, to follow Queensland and NSW’s lead and make the vaccine free for all children aged two to 17 years.
“A bad flu can put a child in hospital,” said RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz. “That’s a risk families don’t need, and it’s additional pressure our hospital system doesn’t need. We should be making things as easy as possible for kids and families to stay safe over winter.”
There have been 32,345 cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza between 1 January and the morning of 28 May 2026, according to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System. More than 11,000 of these cases are attributable to NSW, with almost 6000 further cases recorded in Victoria.
“GPs at my practice have administered intranasal vaccines for a fair number of children already. No tears, no fear, just a quick spray to the nose. It’s a world of difference,” said Dr Muñoz.
“Everyone should get a flu vaccination, and the National Immunisation Program funds free traditional vaccines for young children, seniors, and others at higher risk.
“But the Victorian Government can and should make vaccination needle-free and fear-free for children, and easy for their parents, before our flu season truly gets started.”
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Dr Muñoz said the falling vaccination rates in children should warrant a response from the state government.
“Health departments have been struggling to improve flu vaccine uptake for years. Pharmacy vaccinations haven’t stopped the decline. Free intranasal vaccines appear to be making a real difference,” she told media.
“The first year these vaccines have been easily accessible for a large share of Australian children is also the first year we’ve seen a significant increase in flu vaccine uptake since 2020.
“Needle-free vaccines are the best thing we’ve seen in years, and the Government should make sure all Victorian families can access them.”
The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne is currently running the SNIFFLES project, seeking to understand differences in how the immune system responds to FluMist compared to a standard influenza vaccine.
FluMist has been approved by the TGA for use in children aged two to 17 years.
