Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak for the disallowance motion. The reason I do so is that I vividly remember why I welcomed an earlier bill, introduced some years ago by the former coalition government. In speaking for the disallowance motion, let me relate a story.

Some years ago, prior to the introduction of the Medicare Chronic Diseases Dental Scheme by the former coalition government, which the government now wants to terminate, I well remember talking to a constituent of mine from Kings Point, just outside Ulladulla. He was middle-aged and in great pain—physically, emotionally and mentally. He had no teeth, he could not eat properly, he was unemployed and he had lost his girlfriend. He effectively had no life, and readily admitted he was feeling suicidal. He grunted at me that he hated politicians, because they did nothing for him. I explained to him that the public dental services were provided by the states and that I had very limited influence over a state Labor government. He knew the waiting lists were horrendous and, even then, after a prolonged wait of many years, the treatment was rudimentary.

In rural and regional areas like Gilmore the situation was even worse, so I really felt for him and was concerned that he was entertaining the thought of suicide to end his torment. Anyway, I made a few phone calls, wrote a few letters and bent a few arms. I had no idea what may have transpired, or whether my efforts were effective, until about nine months later, when he came back and saw me at one of my village visits. He asked, 'Do you remember me? I honestly could not. I did not recognise him. His face was beaming, his cheeks had colour and there was certainly a spring in his step. He opened his mouth and showed me his teeth. He explained that, since he had had his teeth done, under our Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Scheme, he had gotten a job, now had another girlfriend and was basically enjoying life. Fundamentally, he had been given back the will to live. If nothing else, it is that man alone who showed me the importance and value of having a comprehensive public dental health scheme. And, I might add, it is one achievement I will never forget.

Yet here we are, taking away the scheme that was a lifeline to people in my electorate, an electorate with an above-average demographic of disadvantaged persons. The absence of things that many take for granted every day can have severe implications. The man I met on that day encapsulated the depths of despair many people faced each and every day. In a country as wealthy and privileged as Australia, it just should not be allowed to happen—and that is why I welcomed the introduction of the Coalition's Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Scheme, which this government now wants to close down. And that is why I am supporting this disallowance motion.

But not only will it be closed down in just a couple of months; there is nothing in the wings to replace it—except a concept for 2014, well after the next election. Who can say that this goal will not be pushed further and further back, beyond 2014, if this government cannot balance its books? And it is just a goal, a statement of intent, not backed up with anything and certainly without any guarantees, nor any details as to how it would work.

So what are people going to do in the meantime? Are we going to go back in time with many more cases like the man from Kings Point, thinking life was no longer worth living because he just could not stand the pain and isolation? If I said this government wants to put into place an inferior and cheap substitute, a superficial dental scheme, I would not be entirely correct in my description—because it pre-supposes that Labor will stick to their promise, and we all know their track record on promises. No, this is all about cutting costs and, because the coalition's scheme was so successful, the demand and therefore for costs of the scheme have gone up. In fact, on radio just this morning the minister herself admitted as much, so its not about delivering a better product to the public, it is all about cutting costs. She also said that some dentists were rorting the system, but she failed to say the extent to which it justified the thrusting of 600,000 people into dental health limbo. Many of those will come from rural and regional areas, like Gilmore. I wonder whether the alleged rorting by dentists is as extensive as Labor's pink batts fiasco or their school building rorts, which cost the Australian taxpayer billions of dollars.

The reality is that Labor does not care about people in my electorate like my Kings Point man. They will cut costs to save themselves and put in a scheme that is just a tarted up smoke screen, hoping people are gullible enough to swallow their spin. It will only be a matter of time before the chorus of voices demanding urgent dental treatment will grow in pitch. What will Labor do then, assuming they are still around?

Their program will not start until 19 months after this scheme has closed down—maybe, and that is a big maybe. It is proposed that funding will be provided to state governments for public dental services. Commonwealth funded services will no longer be available for adults through Medicare. Those people are going to have to find money to pay for urgent dental treatment out of their own pockets. And how many will be able to do that? There are still 600,000 people on the public dental waiting lists, while many thousands have already been treated under our former scheme. How many of those will have their lives shortened as a result of this government's policy? Labor has not provided any assessment or guarantees that the public dental workforce is even able to meet the demand. They just do not know and clearly they do not care, so desperate are they to cut costs. The means tested Family Tax Benefit Part A, or other specified government payments, entitlement for children aged two to 17 years will not commence until January 2014, 13 months after some children will lose access to the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme.

The proposal is to provide a $1,000 capped benefit over two years to eligible children. The government claims that 3.4 million children will be eligible. The minister has acknowledged that services for most children will cost less than the proposed $1,000 cap. But there will be children on the Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Scheme who will require more services, and there is no provision to ensure they continue to receive adequate treatment, especially in the period before the bill commences. That is another reason I support this disallowance motion.

Available data suggests that well over 60,000 services have been provided to children under the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme. The closure of the scheme on 30 November will leave a 13-month gap for many children currently receiving treatment. There are children in the midst of treatment who will not be able to have their treatment completed by November 30. Those families will have nowhere to turn. That is why this disallowance motion is important. The minister and the Greens should explain why these children must suffer for 13 months with incomplete treatment and no certainty of the schedule of services that are to be provided, assuming the government actually delivers on its unfunded promise, in 2014.

We support investment in dental health. We know that the 600,000 people on the public waiting list deserve better. There has to be a better way. Again, that is why this disallowance motion must succeed. We have legitimate concerns about those who will lose access to treatment on 30 November with the closure of the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme. We do not know what will happen to those who are unfortunate enough to be caught up in this period and are not able to complete current treatment by the final date. Nor do we know how the unfunded $2.7 billion cost of the measure will be met. Details are also missing from the schedule of services and fees, and other essential details, that this government wants to rush through the parliament. These are all vital and legitimate questions that the government has refused or failed to provide answers to.

We want to see this motion passed and I ask the Independents to support ongoing treatment for residents of my electorate of Gilmore. We are really concerned about the many patients who will be thrown on the waiting list scrap heap and held at the mercy of this government, a government with a well deserved reputation for waste, inefficiency and broken promises.

We also will move to disallow the closure of our Chronic Disease Dental Scheme in order to protect those in need. We are happy to work with the government for a productive outcome by refining what has proven to be a very successful and popular scheme. We want to review the process for providing certain high-cost items such as bridges and crowns. We understand that. But if the government thinks that the $50 billion spent on their NBN scheme is worthwhile, what does cutting back on dental spending say? It says that the government does not think there are any votes in improving the quality of life for our pensioners or senior citizens. Maybe they think the distraction of the NBN will do that.

I have been down this road before, and it looks like it is unfolding as a case of back to the future. The sad thing is that there is every likelihood that the authors of this plan may not be around to take the blame. Then the process will have to start all over again.

I urge all in the House to support the disallowance motion. I certainly do not want to see once again stories in my local newspaper showing photos of people using superglue to put their teeth back in place, because they could not afford the dental scheme, or pulling out their own teeth. This is Australia. This is not a Third World country. Having meals through straws is absolutely incomprehensible. It is difficult to justify no service for dental when this government has so many failed projects and can afford to waste so many millions of dollars.

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