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

That again is a misrepresentation by the minister, who wants to just interject and chip in, as he always does. We have indicated that the funding will provide one million consultations. Those consultations can involve treatment. The money might be able to be used for other things. That is an indication of what it could cover. There are many people who will require more extensive treatment and will be able to get it, as they already do, through the public dental service. This will provide more resources for them to clear those waiting lists. It is simple to understand, Minister. You have an obsession with not working with the states, when they have the infrastructure there, where they are treating the patients in an ongoing way and where Labor’s commitment will enable them to be able to clear those lists and treat hundreds of thousands of people that are on waiting lists in each of our electorates around the country. The minister is being very foolish to mock this when he knows that it is such a political issue in so many seats. It is not a political issue just because we in the parliament care about it but because people want their teeth fixed, they need their teeth fixed and they deserve to have their teeth fixed—and this program is not going to deliver it. The program has helped only 7,000 people compared to one which can help up to one million people. It is a program which promised that it would spend $15 million but spent less than $2 million. Now we have another program where the government is going to spend $384 million when there is absolutely no hope and expectation that that is possible and when the eligibility criteria remain exactly the same as they have been for the last three years. That is why Labor opposes this bill. (Time expired)

Bill agreed to.

See this speech in context