The Victorian Greens have today unveiled a plan to make dental care free for every Victorian, funded by making gambling giants and big corporations pay their fair share of tax.
The Greens say Labor’s election announcement proves the power of their long-term campaign to make dental care free – but that a handful of clinics announced weeks before an election cannot repair 12 years of neglect, or deliver the long-term reform needed to deliver genuinely free dental care for all Victorians.
Delivering real reform on dental care requires proper investment. By taxing big corporations, we can afford to build a truly universal dental system that’s sustainable in the long term.
The Greens will invest $3 billion over the next decade to build up the public dental system which Labor has neglected for 12 years. They will also establish an initial 20 free public dental clinics accessible to all Victorians operating seven days a week, with more opening across the state as the public dental system is strengthened.
The Greens’ Dental Plan will:
-provide modern, properly equipped and fully staffed public dental facilities at every community health centre in Victoria;
-grow the public dental workforce and ensure it is the best paid in Australia;
-expand dental services in regional communities;
-increase funding for oral and dental health services in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations;
-remove out-of-pocket costs for public dental care; and
-invest in prevention and early treatment.
Unlike Labor’s eleventh-hour announcement, The Greens’ plan is properly and fairly funded, addresses the existing public dental crisis, and makes the deep structural changes required to deliver long-term access to free dental care for everyone.
As stated by Victorian Greens Leader Ellen Sandell:
“Your bank balance should not determine whether you get to keep your teeth. Dental care is healthcare, and it should be free.
“After 12 years of neglect and excuses, Greens pressure has forced Labor to finally cave on free dental. But ten clinics announced on the eve of an election won’t undo the damage Labor has done to the public dental system.
“”The Greens have fought for free dental care for decades because we believe everyone deserves healthcare, no matter their bank balance or postcode. Labor has caved on free dental weeks before an election because it’s worried about losing seats to the Greens.That’s the difference: the Greens fight for you. Labor just fights to stay in power.
“This is the choice at the election: Labor protecting the profits of gambling giants, or the Greens making them pay so Victorians can get the healthcare they need.”
As stated by Victorian Greens health spokesperson Dr Sarah Mansfield:
“Labor has run Victoria’s public dental system into the ground. Its record is people stuck in pain on waiting lists, public services struggling to retain staff and families going into debt because they cannot wait any longer.
“You cannot fix a crisis created by 12 years of neglect with a last-minute election sweetener and a handful of clinics.
“Our plan doesn’t just double the number of clinics Labor has promised. It grows the workforce, pays staff properly and invests in regional services, Aboriginal community-controlled health services and prevention.
“The Greens have a plan to make free dental care last and build a public dental system Victorians can rely on, wherever they live.”
