Debus: Macquarie residents stranded without dental care
April 23, 2007

The Labor candidate for Macquarie, Bob Debus, has condemned the Howard Government for leaving Macquarie residents stranded without essential dental care.

A recent survey from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that more than one in five Australians were going without recommended dental treatment because of cost.

More than 10 per cent of Australians had not visited a dentist in the last five years, and one in six people avoided certain foods because of problems with their teeth during the last year.

Mr Debus said since 1996, the Howard Government had ripped millions of dollars from the public dental sector and cut the Commonwealth Dental Program, leaving 650,000 Australians stranded on public dental waiting lists.

“Many people across the country have been waiting months for general care,” said Mr Debus. “That is far too many Australians waiting for far too long.

“Tony Abbott likes to say that the Commonwealth contributes to Australia’s dental care through the private health insurance rebate, but in Macquarie – where 57 per cent of people do not have private health insurance – all this does is exclude over half of the population from any Commonwealth dental assistance.”

Mr Debus welcomed Federal Labor’s commitment to a Commonwealth-funded public dental health program and said Labor was determined to end the blame-game plaguing Australia's health system.

“Working families are suffering,” said Mr Debus. “Australians are missing out on treatment they need. And Health Minister Tony Abbott won’t help them.

" Only a Rudd Labor Government will work with the States and Territories to fix our dental care system and make sure that the people of Macquarie get the dental care they deserve.

“The Government needs to take action and match Labor’s commitment to re-establishing a national dental program.”