Funding cuts cause dental service erosion

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with your editorial ( October 17), which says “the Government must be called to task” for the increase in patients on the public dental waiting list.

But let’s be totally clear – it is the Federal Government that must be called to task.

In the 2014- 15 Federal Budget, $ 78.3 million was allocated for the provision of dental services in Queensland this financial year.

In this year’s Federal Budget, this funding was slashed to just $ 21.6 million – a cut of 72 per cent. This equates to 94,500 appointments for Queenslanders who will now miss out on the dental treatment they require.

The Palaszczuk Government is committed to the ongoing funding of public dental services with annual state funding of $ 188 million.

However, the massive cut in federal funding cannot be absorbed without impacting services and waiting lists.

It is not only Queenslanders who are feeling the impact of the Turnbull Government’s failure to deliver a new national dental scheme. Every state is grappling with the funding cuts foisted on them by Canberra.

I urge Queensland Federal MPs and Senators to join the State Government’s call on Canberra to restore the $ 56.7 million that has been ripped out of Queensland dental funding in 2017- 18.

For the people of Townsville, this devastating funding cut will ensure 4845 fewer public dental patients are seen this year, with more than $ 2.9 million cut from federal funding.

This is a serious threat to the ongoing provision of quality health services in this area. Unfortunately, it reflects a broader pattern of the Turnbull LNP Government walking away from providing its fair share of funding for our health system.

Between 2009 and 2014, Commonwealth funding to Queensland Health through a number of National Partnership Agreements, largely under Federal Labor Governments, averaged $ 334 million a year. This year, under the Turnbull Government that has fallen to $ 53 million – a decrease of 84 per cent.

These cuts are threatening the sustainability of our system, and I call upon Federal Health Minister Hunt to reverse them, and restore appropriate funding to the provision of health services – starting with dental care. CAMERON DICK Queensland Health Minister.