Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I announced that that $515.3 million would be available from January. That is how long I imagine it would take to negotiate with the states and territories their signature on the piece of paper that will say that they will not reduce their services—as Campbell Newman has already done in Queensland, cutting paediatric dental services. The member for New England has asked me, as have a number of Labor MPs and other Independents: could this money start to flow earlier? Today, I would like to say, yes, it can start to flow earlier. It can flow as soon as the states and territories sign on the dotted line saying that they will not reduce their services and that they will tell us who they are treating. There need be no gap between the closure of the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme on 1 December and the half a billion dollars we committed in the May budget. All it requires is the states to come to the table and sign on the dotted line.

I think it is very important to note that this support for the boost to public dental services to treat the most disadvantaged people with the highest dental needs—

Mr Baldwin interjecting—

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