Comments on The Leader's website and Facebook overwhelmingly expressed outrage with the AVN and its president, Meryl Dorey.

The group espouses views that vaccines are ineffective and can be dangerous.

Ms Dorey said the group was not against vaccinations and only wanted to provide a different side of the story to that of the health profession.

"The problem with this group is that none of their so-called statistics are backed up by quality scientific research. It is a group of cranks spouting rubbish based on anecdotal 'evidence'," Deanna Morley wrote on Facebook.

"None of them are qualified in any medical or scientific field and they expect the gullible public to believe them over highly qualified scientists or doctors."

"More pseudoscience and scaremongering from a woman whose depraved indifference to infant health knows no bounds," Jamie Peck wrote.

Tamworth GP Ian Kamerman said the risk of following the advice of the AVN was much higher than that of vaccination itself.

A comment on the website from Tim Scanlon said vaccines were responsible for the eradication of such diseases as polio and tuberculosis in first-world countries.

Rebecca Fisher said she was "disgusted" with the services clubs that allowed the AVN's talks to be held on their premises.

The AVN will hold its seminars in Tamworth and Armidale tonight and tomorrow night respectively.