Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I am disappointed that the member for Dobell was not prepared to take a question on dental care because it is one of the topics that I intend to speak on in some detail today in the debate on Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2007-2008 and related bills. In his electorate in particular, there are large numbers of elderly people stuck on waiting lists. The government say that is entirely the responsibility of the state government instead of saying: ‘We will help deal with this national crisis. We will roll up our sleeves and get involved and help clear the waiting lists and help people in the Dobell electorate who have been waiting for many months and sometimes years for dentures to get access to this program that the government has announced’—and I will go through this in some detail. But the government will do nothing to help those people. There will be a small targeted number of people who will—

See this speech in context