Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I could not agree more. Obviously this is a very important part of the estimates process, being able to ask the ministers questions about their portfolios, and it is very frustrating for us that the process is treated with some contempt. I do hope that the Minister for Ageing is going to be able to answer questions on behalf of the Minister for Health and Ageing, and I am sure that some of my colleagues who will be coming in the later part of this session will also want to ask particular questions about the ageing portfolio.

Minister, on the first bunch of questions I wonder whether you could give us more detail about the dental program that has been announced. The minister has already conceded, both at a conference to the AMA and also in parliament yesterday, that the chronic disease scheme that has been in place for the last three years for dentists—and this is a quote from the minister—‘was not working very well; let’s be honest about it. There were very few referrals and not much happening’. Given that the government has announced in this budget nearly $400 million to go into a dental scheme, and the Senate estimates process has revealed that the government does not know how high or low the rebates will be, what out-of-pocket costs will be—I can go through these slowly for you, Minister, because I am hoping for answers on this range of four or five issues—whether the referral process will be reformed, and whether or not dentures will be included as part of this process. I think that I might hear your answers on those issues first, Minister, because it is of most pressing concern to us whether or not this scheme is going to have the slightest effect. If you can give me some information about that, I would be grateful.

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