Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Before I was elected to this place, I was working a retail job and one day noticed that I had a pretty bad toothache. Already, I was nervous about going to the dentist because of the cost. Even with private health insurance, a trip to the dentist can set you back a lot of money. I went, and was told I needed two fillings. Not ideal, but manageable. I knew there would be a decent price tag associated with the fillings, so I needed some time to save up.

Flash forward a couple of months, and I was elected to this place. I got my first pay and immediately went straight back to the dentist. But I was too late. What had been fillings were now root canals, at a cost of thousands of dollars per tooth. The other option to me was to have these teeth pulled out. I remember sitting in the dentist's chair for a solid minute, contemplating this decision. My income was about to determine whether or not I got to keep my teeth in my head. If I had not been in a position then to afford the root canals, I would have had to either borrow money from my family or lose these teeth altogether.

I know I'm not alone in this. So many people are having to put off going to the dentist because they just can't afford it. This often results in dental problems getting worse and more expensive. We are talking about access to basic health care, and Australians are being let down by a government that won't do anything to fix the problem. There's hundreds of billions of dollars for nuclear submarines, but when it comes time for grand visions of public health and improving peoples' lives we are always told that it would just cost too much. Everyone should be able to use their Medicare card when they go to the dentist, just like when they go to the doctor. There is absolutely no reason why health care should stop at your teeth. It is time we put dental into Medicare.

Accessing mental health care in this country is too expensive and too slow. Prevention and early intervention are key pillars of a strong mental health system, and we need to be doing more to help people before their mental health deteriorates and before they reach crisis point. Everyone deserves to have access to good mental health support. Unfortunately, our system makes it harder for low-income individuals to receive proper care. We cannot go down the path of the United States, and put being healthy behind a paywall. This doesn't give people an equal chance at a healthy life. With mental healthcare costs becoming more and more unaffordable, we are increasingly becoming a society where only those who have enough money can access mental health care.

Countries with universal healthcare systems have healthier citizens. When community members are healthy, there is a higher likelihood that people will be happier, jobs will be done better and our communities will thrive. Simply put, a truly universal healthcare system makes our communities better off. Prevention and early intervention can also prevent higher costs down the line. When individuals living with mental illness cannot afford to access the health care they need, people will hit a crisis point and present to emergency departments in hospitals instead. We know that preventive healthcare costs our health system less in the long run and reduces patients' risk. Getting people access to preventive health care when, or before, they need it is not just good for individuals but good for society and good for our economy.

With the rising costs of living, the housing crisis and climate anxiety, Australians need mental health support more than ever, and they need a government that will address the root causes of the surging need for mental health support. What that looks like is getting dental and mental health into Medicare; putting caps on rent increases; a huge build of public, affordable homes; no new coal and gas; lifting income support above the poverty line; and wiping all student debt. This is what will alleviate the financial strains causing surging mental health issues. But until the government wants to do any of that, the least they can do is to bring dental and mental health fully into Medicare.

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