Page 1881 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 2 May 2012
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commonwealth took over from the states in providing full funding for dental services. However, two years later the incoming Howard government chose to remove commonwealth payments and contributions from the dental care scheme. The ACT has the opportunity today to be the first jurisdiction to vote in favour of the commonwealth government reinstating dental health into Medicare.
In late March the Victorian parliament considered a similar motion proposed by Greens MLC, Ms Colleen Hartland. The Victorian Liberal government did not support it, however, and the motion failed despite Victorian Labor members. A similar motion has been put forward by the Greens in the Tasmanian parliament but is yet to be debated. The ACT Assembly therefore has a unique opportunity today, and I believe it is imperative for us to assist the ACT population in having its voice heard by the federal government.
Currently, the ACT government is responsible for funding and providing local dental services. Based on data provided through the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the ACT government spent $10 million in 2009-10 on providing dental services. As a per capita spend, the $10 million equates to around $27.63 per person per annum, ranking us in the middle of all Australian jurisdictions. I should note, however, that this is a difficult amount to determine as each state and territory charges different fees for dental services.
Little recurrent funding is provided by the commonwealth and that which is is focused on groups for which the commonwealth is responsible. These include the defence force and veterans, intermittent programs like the younger persons dental program and the current chronic disease program, which is ending.
ACT Health’s website states that its dental services are available to all children under the age of 14 years who reside in the territory or attend an ACT school, young people over the age of 14 who hold a Centrelink-issued concession card, and adults who are ACT residents and hold a Centrelink-issued pension, concession, or healthcare card.
Dental services include treatment for dental emergencies, oral hygiene, restorative treatment and denture services. They also include denture repairs, denture relines, adjustments and the making of both partial and complete new dentures. As far as I am aware, services are not completely free. For example, parents must pay $55 for their child’s course of care, unless the family is receiving family tax benefit part A at more than the minimum rate per child per fortnight or the family has a Centrelink concession card.
Based on ACT Health’s latest annual report, the average waiting time for an adult to access its dental services from the time of first asking for an appointment is 12 months. The indicator improved to about nine months for a period several years ago because of a short-lived commonwealth funding injection, but since then the indicator has reverted to 12 months. Children’s wait times are not included in that measure.
In part 2(c) of my motion I would like to make it clear that, while we can call for increased funding, the Minister for Health has, I recall, advised that ACT Health’s dental services experience access block and even if more money was spent the
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