ALP pledges new national dental program

Opposition leader Kevin Rudd, yesterday announced that a federal Labor Government would establish a new national dental healthcare program which will not only include concession card holders, but will also extend to low-income families.

This new scheme, details of which have not yet been finalised, will apparently cost more than the $300 million over four years which had previously been promised by former Opposition Leader, Mark Latham.

The Daily Telegraph (14/12) reports advice from Labor figures that "Families would need to undergo a means test and a distinction would be made between urgent or health-related dental care and cosmetic work".

More infomation about this policy will be published as it becomes available.

The Blame Game: Report on the inquiry into health funding

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing yesterday tabled The Blame Game: Report on the inquiry into health funding, in which the following key recommendation appeared:

"The Australian Government should supplement state and territory funding for public dental services so that reasonable access standards for appropriate services are maintained, particularly for disadvantaged groups. This should be linked to the achievement of specific service outcomes."

This recommendation is significant as it is presented by a bi-partisan committee of the Lower House, and will set the scene for negotiations on the next round of funding agreements.

According to The Age today, the Government has consistently refused to help the states pay for public dental services, arguing "it is a state responsibility despite reports of desperate people extracting their own teeth because of long waiting lists. Yesterday, Prime Minister John Howard again said dental care was a state responsibility".

Representatives of the National Oral Health Alliance, including the ADA Inc. and ACOSS, are in Canberra today seeing a number of MPs to urge them to address the continuing crisis in access to basic dental care for low income Australians.