Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are at significant increased risk of Hepatitis B, according to a new World Health Organisation report.
Its authors say that with the higher rate of Hepatitis B for Indigenous Australians - 3.6 cases per 100,000 compared with 1.1 per 100,000 in other Australians, a national immunisation program would be beneficial.
Royal Melbourne Hospital Infectious diseases expert Associate Professor Benjamin Cowie, one of the World Health Organisation report's authors, said they found that one case of Hepatitis B would be prevented for every 150 Indigenous Australians vaccinated.
"That's a very low number needed to vaccinate, compared with many of the other existing vaccination programs which are supported by the Australian government," Professor Cowie told SBS.
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The research found a national immunisation program could prevent 550 new cases of acute Hepatitis B, and 23 cases of chronic Hepatitis B over a decade.
"By vaccinating just a proportion of those who remain susceptible amongst the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, hundreds of Hepatitis B infections would be prevented in the next 10 years," Professor Cowie said.
Hepatitis B is spread through bodily fluids, and can lead to chronic liver disease or cancer if left untreated.
All Australian babies are currently offered free Hepatitis B immunisations under the National Immunisation Program.
Free vaccinations are also offered for some at risk groups in some states.
This includes Indigenous Australians, as well as migrants from areas where Hepatitis B is widespread, including Africa, Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe.
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In Victoria, immunisation is recommended, but not free, for people who are at increased risk.
Report Lead author, Kristine Macartney said the current system is inequitable and ineffective.
"When the vaccine's not free and it's not promoted, and it can't be just pulled out of the GP's or the clinic's fridge, we don't see high uptake of vaccine in that context," Professor Macartney said.
She said the vaccines should be free, but not compulsory.
Professor Macartney said it would also help to identify previously undiagnosed Hepatitis B cases.
Recipients would need to be tested before vaccination, and many don't know they have it.
"If we were able to provide the vaccine free at the time of seeing a patient, and at the time of ordering a test for Hepatitis B, we could then really improve coverage," she said.
Community worker with support group Hepatitis Victoria Sione Crawford has worked closely with Aboriginal adults at risk of contracting Hepatitis B around Australia.
He has been working on a prison program for Aboriginal people at risk of contracting Hepatitis B.
He said the absence of a national immunisation progam is a glaring oversight.
"We know that the disparity between Aboriginal health and non-Indigenous health in Australia is wide and we need to close that gap," Mr Crawford said.
"This is one really quite simple way to do that."
A spokesman for Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley told SBS, the focus on immunising children is considered to be the primary approach to immunisation.
The spokesman said independent experts regularly look at new evidence, such as the WHO paper, to assess whether immunisation is indicated and cost effective.
The will be published in the global journal of the World Health Organisation next week.
