Labor promises more free dental clinics for Victorians in election pitch
Labor will open 20 free dental clinics if it wins re-election at this month’s state election, double the number of clinics it initially promised, Victorian Premier Ben Carroll announced.
Carroll had announced in August that a re-elected Labor government would open 10 public dental clinics that would offer free check-ups and dental work, like fillings, root canals and extractions, costing $230 million over three years.
Ben Carroll said the program would cost about $230 million over three years. Chris Hopkins
On Sunday, he said he had doubled the number of free clinics Labor would set up.
Currently, dental treatment is not part of Medicare, meaning there is no universal access to dental services in Australia.
“Right now, too many people are putting off treatment or facing big bills in the private system. Meanwhile, in July, the average wait time for public dental services was 15 months,” Carroll said in a statement.
“No Victorian should ever have to wait that long because they can’t afford to see a dentist.”
Carroll said 14 clinics would be in Melbourne, with six in regional Victoria.
This includes clinics in Geelong, Latrobe, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Mildura, as well as across Melbourne, where there is less access to public dental clinics.
Labor claims up to 200,000 people a year would be able to receive treatment.
Carroll also said Labor was working to bring more dentists into the public system across the state.
He announced plans to give dentists $20,000 to join the public system if they are in Melbourne, and $30,000 if they are in a regional area. This will cost about $5 million.
“More dentists mean more Victorians getting the care they need, without the bill,” Carroll said.
Health Minister Mark Butler admitted adding dental to Medicare was not an immediate priority. Alex Ellinghausen
Over a quarter of Australians are avoiding necessary dental care due to cost of living concerns, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Oral Health Report.
Young adults aged 18 to 25 are the least likely to visit the dentist, with about 60 per cent admitting to postponing check-ups due to financial barriers.
The federal Labor government has not ruled out exploring the idea of universal dental care in Australia, announcing it would look to create a roadmap on the issue at its national conference in July.
However, federal Health Minister Mark Butler admitted it wasn’t a “priority” item for Labor at this point.
“Although Labor has in its platform and ambition to bring dental into Medicare more broadly, we don’t have the capacity to do that in the immediate future,” Butler said during a National Press Club speech last year.
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