‘It’s very pleasing that Health Minister Greg Hunt has stated publicly in Canberra this afternoon that he is confident that there will be continuing Commonwealth funding for adult public dental services’, says Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association spokesperson and Australia’s first Aboriginal dentist Dr Chris Bourke.

‘On World Oral Health day earlier this year, on 20 March, and again on Monday this week, we publicly called on the government to come out from under the COVID doona to devote some attention to worsening adult dental health and the worsening affordability of much-needed dental care.

‘We drew attention to the fact that the Commonwealth’s National Partnership Agreement with the states and territories on adult public dental health is set to expire in June, and there had been no word on renewal.

‘We now commend the Minister and the government for providing this reassurance on adult public dental funding—the 180,000 people on the public dental waiting list, as well as many others now eligible because they are out of work or on reduced incomes, will be glad they have not been forgotten.

‘We now look forward to the details of what funding is proposed.

‘With only a month to go until the Agreement expires it’s time to pull the doona back a little further’, Dr Bourke said.

More information on AHHA is available at ahha.asn.au.

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association is the national peak body for public and not-for-profit hospitals, Primary Health Networks, and community and primary healthcare services.

Media enquiries: Dr Chris Bourke, Strategic Programs Director, AHHA, 0418 869 443