Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Ludwig. Can the minister advise the Senate on how the Gillard government is ensuring that children and low-income Australians have access to high-quality oral health care?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Urquhart for her continuing interest in this portfolio of health. The Gillard government believe that we have a responsibility to ensure Australians who are least able to afford to go to the dentist can do so. This is particularly the case when it comes to children. Medicare has been a basic right for Australians for decades, yet millions of people in this country still go without adequate dental care. Poor childhood oral health leads to poor adult oral health and has wide-ranging impacts on general health and wellbeing, leading to a greater strain on our health and hospitals system now and into the future. Labor's dental health reform package will deliver a better system of dental health care for Australians that is accessible, affordable and focuses on prevention. Labor's dental health reform package will provide for around 1.4 million additional dental services for low-income adults. Labor's dental health reform over the next six years includes $2.7 billion to ensure that more than three million children will be eligible for government subsidised dental care, in the same way they are now entitled to Medicare funded GP visits, and $1.3 billion for additional services for an additional 1.4 million adults on low incomes, including pensioners and concession card holders and those with special needs. There is $225 million for dental capital to support expanded services for people living in outer metropolitan, regional and rural and remote areas so that Australians, regardless of where they live, have access to high-quality dental care. In addition to the new dental measures, the government will continue to deliver on current investments in dental health. We have delivered practical improvements to dental care like subsidising around 1.6 million dental check-ups for teenagers— (Time expired)

Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary. Can the minister advise how this new funding affects the $515 million pledge by the Gillard government to dental reform in the 2012-13 budget?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Urquhart for her supplementary question. Labor's dental health reform package will be in addition to the $515.3 million that the Gillard government has already pledged in the 2012-13 budget. The budget funding will make a significant improvement to the dental system and it represents a significant down payment on the new national dental scheme.

The $515 million budget funding will be used to crack down on public dental waiting lists, where 400,000 people across the country are waiting to receive dental care. It will also provide additional dental training, the promotion of oral health care and improved dental facilities in rural and remote areas. Australia's dental workforce will also be strengthened by $36 million on increasing the number of placements available on the Voluntary Dental Graduate Year Program from 50 to 100 placements each year to 2015. (Time expired)

Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister advise why this program will be replacing the existing Chronic Disease Dental Scheme?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Urquhart for her supplementary question. The dental health reform package will replace the Medicare Teen Dental Plan and the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme. The Howard government's dental scheme was poorly targeted, saw significant waste and overservicing, and failed to address the capacity constraints of existing public dental services. Those from the opposition would know that quite well.

The scheme introduced by Mr Tony Abbott as health minister was not means-tested, which meant millionaires could get $4,250 of free dental care. It was a dental scheme that meant that pensioners with high oral care needs could be left behind and not get the help they need, while all you on the other side could do was target those who could afford oral health, and they got subsidised by your scheme. It was not targeted, which meant patients could get gaps, crowns and often cosmetic work— (Time expired)