The House of Representatives Health and Ageing Committee’s inquiry into adult dental services began on Tuesday this week. Committee chair, Jill Hall MP, said this hearing will be an opportunity for the department to outline the current state of dental health in Australia and to respond to questions on what is an important aspect of health care.
“With up to 400,000 adults currently on public dental waiting lists in Australia, the government needs to take action to improve accessibility to dental services for these individuals,” Ms Hall said.
“The committee aims to identify the priorities for the National Partnership Agreement for adult public dental services so that those in need can get dental care regardless of where they live.”
The aim of the inquiry is to identify priorities and inform the National Partnership Agreement (NPA) such that it can be framed to meet the particular and localised needs of each state and territory. Committee chair Jill Hall, MP, said the committee is determined to get grassroots views on the dental health. The inquiry will focus on:
• demand for dental services across Australia and issues associated with waiting lists;
• mix and coverage of dental services supported by state and territory governments, and the Australian Government;
• availability and affordability of dental services for people with special dental health needs;
• availability and affordability of dental services for people living in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote locations;
• coordination of dental services between the two tiers of government and with privately funded dental services; and
• workforce issues relevant to the provision of dental services.
The hearings can be followed online at the Parliament House website.
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