Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021. When you have young children, there always seem to be 101 things you need to do throughout the day. There are play dates to arrange, books to read, items around the house to put out of reach, meals to prepare, mess to clean and sometimes even keys to fish out of the toilet. There are decisions on which day care, kindergarten, preschool or school they'll attend. It's all part of being a parent. But we do all this for our kids and make the tough decisions because we love them and want what is best for them. As a father of four children and grandfather of five, I can tell you I have been there.

Another important thing to pay attention to early on is your child's dental hygiene—getting them used to brushing their teeth and flossing regularly and booking them in for appointments with the family dentist. When it comes to expenses, I know only too well how steep dentist bills can be, especially if you have more than one child. However, if parents promote and practise good oral hygiene with their children from a young age, this can help prevent more serious dental decay and other health issues as they grow up. Good habits can last a lifetime. Babies can start teething from as young as three months old, with the first tooth generally appearing around six to nine months. By the age of one, a baby will usually have around eight teeth, but this varies, of course, because babies develop at different rates.

A lot of parents like to take them for their first dentist check-up before they turn one or when their teeth start coming through. This is long before a child turns two. This is why I am standing in support of the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021, to remove the lower age eligibility restriction of two years so that all eligible children under 18 can access the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, CDBS. This will mean even parents of teething babies can claim the subsidy. Amongst the sleepless nights and babies struggling with teething, do we really want Australian parents to be worried about a dentist bill on top of that? By passing these amendments, we will lighten the financial burden for parents of young children and allow them to take even teething babies to the dentist for a check-up, advice or some reassurance at little to no cost.

One of my staff members has a one-year-old daughter who she took to the dentist when he first started teething at around six months. She had heard about the Child Dental Benefits Schedule and thought it was strange it didn't apply to kids under the age of two, especially because their teeth start coming through much earlier. The dentist took a look at her daughter's teeth, said they were coming through fine, gave her the usual warning on sugary snacks and soft drinks and sent her away with a substantial bill. These costs will largely be a thing of the past with the passage of this bill.

The removal of this age restriction is based on recommendations from the report of the fourth review of the Dental Benefits Act. The review was undertaken through consultation with a range of stakeholders, including the Australian Dental Association, state and territory dental health services, Services Australia, the federal government's Indigenous health division and academic dental professionals. The review committee included the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer and representatives from the Australian Dental Association, Consumers Health Forum of Australia and others. Review stakeholders recommend that it is important to establish a positive dental experience at the earliest age. It also found that teaching positive oral hygiene practices at an early age would help curb the negative stigma around dental practitioners and oral hygiene. This perception can be reinforced if a person's initial dental experience requires serious treatment. Researchers found that if parents promote and practise good oral health hygiene with their children from a young age it will help prevent more serious dental decay and other health issues as they grow up.

Tooth decay in children is on the rise in Australia. Children aged five to 10 have an average of 1½ decayed, missing or filled baby teeth. So it's more important than ever to teach a child good oral health habits early on that will stay with them for life. The government's health advice for parents is that they should look after the child's teeth from the moment they start teething. Keeping a child's teeth and gums clean will protect against infection, cavities and pain. In fact, we recommend that parents take their baby to a dentist as soon as their teeth begin to appear. The dentist can then check that their teeth are developing as they should. Decayed baby teeth can damage the permanent teeth underneath and end up costing thousands of dollars to repair when the child gets older. If a child loses a tooth because of decay, it can cause crowding problems when their adult teeth come through later. We encourage parents to take their children for regular dental check-ups within six months of the first tooth appearing. We ask that parents make a visit to their child's dentist a positive experience and not a punishment for something. It also might be beneficial to shop around before your first visit to the dentist, as costs can vary widely between different dentists. It's also important for parents to keep in mind that not all dentists perform services under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, so check before booking in for treatment.

Getting into good dental hygiene habits early on in life can last a lifetime. This is why it makes sense that the age for children eligible under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule be lowered. The change proposed under this amendment will increase access to prevention and treatment services for younger children. It will expand the number of children eligible for the subsidy by around 300,000 each year. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule has been in place since 2014. Since that time it has provided more than $2.3 billion in benefits and delivered more than 38 million services to more than three million Australian children. The budgeted cost for the amendment is $5.4 million over four years.

Currently services that are covered by the Child Dental Benefits Schedule include examinations, X-rays, cleaning, fissure sealing, fillings, root canals, extractions and partial dentures. Many of these services come with claiming restrictions and can be provided in a public or private setting. What the program doesn't cover is: orthodontic services such as straightening of crooked teeth; cosmetic dental procedures like the restoration or replacement of damaged or missing teeth; or any work that might need to be done in a hospital.

At present only eligible children aged between two and 17 years are entitled to access the subsidy for basic dental services, which can be up to $1,013. The benefit is capped over two consecutive calendar years. It also has a means test which requires receipt of family tax benefit part A or other relevant Australian government payment. The payment of benefits under the schedule is administered by Services Australia. This bill will remove the minimum age of eligibility so that children under two years will be covered under the scheme.

This government will continue to reduce the financial burden on Australian families. In the 2020-21 budget we extended tax cuts for low- and middle-income earners for another year. We also expanded the 32½ per cent tax bracket to include incomes up to $120,000, up from $90,000. We are ensuring more of people's hard-earned money is going into their pockets. By lowering the minimum age of eligibility under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule so children under two years of age will be covered, we are further reducing the financial burden on Australian families. It is another example of the government working with private and public providers to improve the delivery of dental services to Australia's children. I commend the bill to the House.

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