Page 1592 - Week 06 - Thursday, 7 June 2007
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goal for the government stated in the social plan is to “strengthen the health of the community through a whole-of-government approach to health issues, together with community partnerships to develop sustainable social care support”. But this budget left the community sector out in the cold, despite the government explicitly recognising it as critical to improving the health and wellbeing of ACT people. The 2007-08 ACT health budget lacks the courage to make the changes that must happen if the government is to deliver on its promise to the ACT, as stated in its social plan in 2004.
Most worryingly, Mr Speaker, the budget makes no provision to increase access to primary health care. This is despite a looming crisis in access to GPs in Canberra, while at the same time the government is busily trying to attract more people to come and live here. The minister says she is working hard to try and attract more GPs to the ACT, and she has my full support in placing pressure on the Howard government to loosen the MBS purse strings to make GP practices more viable across Canberra. But funding more primary care programs based in the community, staffing them properly, and ensuring that they connect up with each other must be a greater priority for this government.
In mental health again new funds have gone mainly to bricks and beds. As welcome as any new funds for mental health are, given the sorry past, the ACT has still to honour its commitment to meeting the national mental health reform targets set out in the 2006 COAG national mental health plan. But if the minister is to deliver on the COAG targets she will have to ensure that there is major funding for a range of community based mental health services aimed at recovery, to equip people with mental illnesses with basic living skills, and to help them reconnect to families and community.
I understand that the new funds for dental care will help to reduce the waiting list for restorative dental care, and so hopefully reduce the overall public waiting list for dentistry. In turn, this may reduce the number of people turning up in our hospital emergency areas with serious infections caused by poor dental health. And this is good for those people who are eligible for public dental care. But when you look at the bigger picture the new dental funding is just a drop in the bucket. The fact is that many, many people in Canberra simply cannot afford to go to the dentist. And they are not all on pensions or health care card holders.
The government has directed dental care funds to the most needy, and no-one will criticise that. But it has done nothing to assist hardworking, low-income people who just cannot afford to fix their teeth, and they certainly cannot afford expensive health insurance covering dental work. And, unless they fix their teeth, they are unlikely to get the jobs that they need to lift them out of poverty, or the better job they need to lift them out of poverty.
We can place a lot of the blame on the Howard government for the country’s bad teeth, but I, like many, are tired of the blame game. The ACT can afford to expand its public dental services and it should do so. This is primary care and if it is properly funded, it will contribute significantly to the health and wellbeing of people in the ACT.
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