Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I have spoken many times in parliament about bringing dental into Medicare, and, in response, we have received literally thousands of comments on social media from people across Australia describing their own shocking experiences. Rather than give another long speech, I'm going to let the comments of everyday Australians on Instagram and TikTok make a stronger argument for dental into Medicare than I ever could:

1. "Never even needed a filling in my life, but 7 yrs living with a single tooth infection …need it taken out by a highly trained surgeon bcos of where roots are positioned . Unless I hit the jackpot I've no idea how I'll afford surgery. I laugh when people say we r the lucky country with the best medical system . I'd have to sell my car to see a surgeon. The cruelest thing humanity has normalised is only the wealthy having access to proper health care "

2. "I legitimately nearly died because of a tooth infection because they told me it would cost me $6000 I don't even have that in my savings"

3. "6 times this year we have put off our dental appointments!!"

4. "I have a huge broken molar, been there for a year because living week to week doesn't enable one to get dental care"

5. "I just started having tooth sensitivity yesterday on a root canal tooth and now I'm stressing. It's going to cost so much. I'm freaking out"

6. "As a paramedic I've seen patients with severe toothaches and infections because they couldn't afford the dentist. This is a false economy and it is a flawed system which is causing the problem."

7. "Just lost a filling yesterday and the anxiety and the stress I am feeling is unbearable"

8. "Teeth literally falling out of my face but i don't have the thousands of dollars for the work needed"

9. "I was told after getting my two bottom teeth removed that I was not allowed further treatment because I was on a carers pension !!!"

10. "I can't afford for our family of five to go to the dentist for a check up and clean we are 18months over the time since we should have gone last. I'm ruining my kids teeth because I can only pay the mortgage and bills and that's it. I don't have $1500 for the five of us to go"

11. "I sat here watching this with a WILD toothache that I can't afford to get seen. makes me so angry."

12. "my mortgage is half my paycheque. just told I need 2 crowns and a root canal which is 6k. otherwise I lose my teeth. I can't afford it I have no savings I don't know what to do. I can't take out a loan"

13. "I have a huge hole in my tooth I can't afford a dentist it's now to the stage I've shred the nerves in that tooth"

14. "I'll have to take out my super to fix my teeth. […] Shouldn't have to but it's my only option."

15. "Im in so much pain from my teeth my dr thought I was having arthritis in near my eye and sent me for a CT scan but my rent is half my pay and food is the other half"

Finally, here are the last two:

16. "why are my mouth bones different to the rest of the bones in my body?"—

That's a good question—

17. "But who needs teeth when we can buy SUBMARINES??!!!"

Let's be clear about this: the total cost of bringing dental comprehensively into Medicare over the next four years would be $46 billion, as costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office. In context, one-third of Australia's largest corporations pay no tax on hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue. There are large multinational gas corporations that pay less tax than a nurse, despite earning tens of billions of dollars in income.

Let's not kid ourselves: the country is wealthy enough to bring dental into Medicare, and yet we hear these stories from people across Australia who are suffering as a result of a political and economic system that always puts everyday Australians last when the financial interests of large multinational corporations are threatened. We have a plan to, for instance, raise taxes on the super profits of large multinational corporations. Over 10 years, it would raise half a trillion dollars—$500 billion. It could cover bringing dental and mental health into Medicare. It could cover making sure everyone could see a GP for free. Instead, right now that money is going into the profit margins of large multinational corporations.

The stories I just read out should not happen in a wealthy country like Australia. The stories that I read just out are preventable, if only we had a political class with the guts to stand up to multinational corporations, who right now get away with often paying zero dollars in tax. We can bring dental and mental health into Medicare. We can ensure everyone can see a GP for free. We can ensure that the millions of Australians right now who skip seeing the dentist because they can't afford to pay have some light at the end of the tunnel.

See this speech in context