Extra Funding for Dental Services Revealed in Australian Budget
The Australian government has confirmed additional funding for dental services across the country.
In Tuesday’s budget, a cash injection of more than $500 million was confirmed, with a view to reducing waiting lists for dental treatment.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard also confirmed that the education tax rebate will be scrapped and replaced with direct payments, with parents of primary school children eligible for payments of up to $410 per child and parents of high school children eligible to receive $820 per child.
The government outlined $290 million for health programmes as part of the dental scheme, with an additional sum of $225 million available for spending on dental care over the next four years.
Health Minister, Tanya Plibersek, said that she hoped the new dental package would relieve waiting lists and enable more people to see a dentist without having to join a lengthy queue. She revealed that the new system would prioritise people with the greatest needs.
Ministers also revealed greater incentives for dentists to try and address the shortage of dentists working in several areas of the country such as relocation grants that will be available for up to 300 dentists moving to more rural practices and non-government organisations will receive additional funding for oral health programmes.
The Green Party, which has pushed for a new dental system since the coalition government was formed, has agreed to the deal. Senator Richard Di Natale, health minister, said that the Budget represented the “the most significant investment in public dental health in decades.”
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