Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to ask the Minister for Health some questions in relation to the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. As the minister is aware, the program provides $1,000 over two years for free basic dental care for children from eligible families, those who receive family tax payments. The federal government under then Health Minister Sussan Ley sought to reduce the amount to $700 over two years, citing underutilisation of the program. As the minister would be aware, in March 2016—so some 14 or 15 months ago—a review of the scheme found that the program had been poorly promoted, and it subsequently made four recommendations to improve promotion and encourage greater utilisation of the scheme among families.

Those recommendations were to 'make the eligibility notification letter more attractive and recognisable as a "voucher" for services'; to 'engage experts in marketing and communication to better target efforts on program promotion including, for example, utilising communication channels other than the eligibility notifications'; to 'ensure hard copy notifications are sent to families who received notification through myGov, unless they have specifically opted out of hard copy communications'; and to 'provide hard copy follow-up notifications to eligible families who have not accessed services'. Minister, given it has been 14 months since those recommendations, would you please detail which of those recommendations have been adopted and implemented by government? If they have not been adopted and implemented, would the minister please detail his reasons why? I look forward to the minister's response.

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