Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to present more petitions in relation to the very urgent need for the Howard government to restore funding for dental health. I have 1,000 signatures here today. This is a very urgent issue, particularly in my electorate, where 25 per cent of the population is aged over 65 years. It is an issue that people raise with me every day. In yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph I saw a major article in relation to this issue. One in three people in New South Wales cannot afford dental care, with some patients waiting up to 10 years for treatment. Lengthy waiting lists have forced some patients to pull out their own teeth with pliers and repair dentures with superglue. This is an outrageous situation in this day and age and the Howard government must restore federal funding to dental care so that people can access the dental treatment they desperately need.

It is in the Constitution that it is the responsibility of the federal government. It is their responsibility and they must come to the table and provide that funding because poor dental health also affects your entire body and can lead to other ailments. Locals, who speak to me all the time about their concerns, are waiting years, are not able to eat properly, are in constant pain and are extremely embarrassed. As people are growing elderly and have a whole variety of health concerns, the care of their teeth is a major one. These petitions, and the others I have lodged, urgently call upon the Howard government to restore that federal funding. It is their responsibility and they must adhere to that straightaway and make sure that funding is restored.