Australian Greens additional comments

1.1The Australian Greens are proud to have proposed and chaired the Senate Select Committee into Dental Services in Australia.

1.2We would like to deeply thank all those who shared their personal and professional experiences with the inquiry.

1.3As outlined in the interim report, it was incredible to have 17544 members of the community participate in the committee's survey that ran between 17April2023 and 4 June 2023. This survey brought into sharp focus the barriers that many people experience when trying to access dental services: cost, workforce availability and long waiting times.

1.4It is the Australian Greens' view that the oral health care available in this country is failing many people. Too many people in Australia are not able to access preventative healthcare, and are living with preventable diseases and oral conditions.

1.5The Australian Greens are of the view that all people should be able to access dental and oral health care.

1.6In relation to the committee's final recommendation:

The Australian Government works with States and Territories to achieve universal access to dental and oral healthcare, which expands coverage under Medicare, or a similar scheme, for essential oral healthcare, over time, in stages.

It is the Australian Greens' view that essential oral healthcare should be defined as a clinically relevant service to an individual, as determined by a dentist or oral health care practitioner.

1.7It is the Australian Greens' view that there is an urgent need to expand availability of access to free oral healthcare services. This is to be achieved by additional resourcing of public dental services, through Federal and state and territory funding, and we see Medicare being the appropriate place for these services.

1.8The inquiry heard the following cohorts are priority cohorts for accessing oral health care through Medicare, and supports:

introduction of Seniors Dental Benefits Schedule, for people over 50;

expansion of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, to include all children;

introduction of coverage for low-income, disabled and First Nations Australians;

introduction of a universal preventative oral healthcare scheme;

introduction of a universal clinically relevant oral healthcare scheme.

1.9The committee heard there are many challenges associated with the lack of regulation in the dental industry, as such it is the Australian Greens' view that the government should:

develop national guidelines for oral health treatment choice and provisions, including definitions of 'clinically relevant' oral healthcare;

implement independent price monitoring, transparency and reporting; and

implement increased reporting requirements for dentists.

1.10This inquiry has brought to light the significant amount of reform that is needed across state, territory and Federal governments to improve access to oral healthcare. From the survey conducted by this inquiry, 97 per cent of people agree that the Government should make more dental healthcare free. The Australian Greens will continue to work with the community to achieve universal access to oral health care.

Senator Jordon Steele-John

Chair