WA LIBERALS ANNOUNCE $19 MILLION TO PROVIDE DENTAL CARE ACROSS OUR REGIONS

January 22, 2025 1:00 PM
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Libby Mettam
WA Liberal Leader
Merome Beard
Shadow Minister for Disability Services; Heritage

• The Liberals will allocate $19 million to provide five regional mobile dental units.

• Partnerships with private dental practices will increase access to care.

• Children will be treated within the recommended timeframe.

• Laying the foundation for better long-term health outcomes.

The WA Liberals have made a $19 million dollar commitment to fund five mobile dental units to provide services to those in the Goldfields, Mid-West, Pilbara, and other remote and at-risk communities.

WA Liberal Leader, Libby Mettam, said WA Labor had spent eight years neglecting the health needs of people in the regions and one of the casualties had been dental care for children.

“This commitment recognises the significant barriers Western Australians face in getting dental treatment, especially for children, in the regions,” she said.

“Extensive waitlists, a shortage of public dental services, and long travel distances often compromise timely treatment, exacerbating oral health issues that can lead to pain, poor academic performance, and costly interventions.

The policy also proposes that if public services are unavailable, a Liberal Government would enter partnerships with local private dental providers to provide these services.

“While WA Labor invests in incentives for dental providers that will not boost capacity, we are working with all dentists — public and private — to immediately expand operations into much-needed communities.

“This is about meeting regional communities, especially remote communities with at-risk patients, where they’re at.

“We are the only party promising a comprehensive dental service pathway to ensure children living in the regions receive dental care within clinically recommended timeframes.”

Liberal Candidate for Kalgoorlie, Rowena Olsen, said allowing private providers to deliver publicly funded dental services would provide children in underserved areas with treatment that was not only timely but also free.

“This dual approach of improving public capacity and leveraging private expertise will significantly reduce wait times, address geographic barriers, and lay the foundation for healthier generations in the Goldfields region,” Ms Olsen said.

“Across the Goldfields, we are seeing dentists reporting major increases in decay, fillings, and rotting – this is unacceptable in a state with access to modern medicine.

“These collaborations will bring essential dental care directly to remote communities, fostering healthier outcomes into the future.

“The WA Liberals’ Building a Better Future blueprint makes it clearly that only we are committed to delivering the services and infrastructure needed to improve health outcomes for the entire state.”

Australia-wide statistics show that 1 in 4 Australian children experience untreated decay, while as many as 40 per cent of Western Australian adults suffer from it.

Member for North West Central, Merome Beard, said that greater access to dental services in regions is critical, with many Western Australians currently having little to no access to services, and next to no private dental services available in towns.

“The dental van currently available for residents in Yalgoo, Sandstone, Mt Magnet, Cue, and the broader Murchison region is not fit for purpose and has left residents without access to services for long periods of time,” Ms Beard said.

“This lack of access is further exacerbating preventable oral health issues which become acute.

“Given the Labor Government’s eight-year failure to address these shortages, access to this new, fit-for-purpose dental van and dental resources across the Mid West and other regions has never been more essential or critical.”

Ms Mettam said the $19 million allocated to this initiative would cover the acquisition and operation of five mobile dental units, partnership expenses with private providers, and the rollout of preventative programs.

“We know, based on factors such as distance and practitioner coverage, regional children are less likely to receive consistent and frequent dental care,” Ms Mettam said.

“Regional children should not be made to wait months for a problem-specific appointment, leaving simple issues to become health hazards.

“In a state as prosperous as WA, our future generations should not be suffering because of this government’s failure to ensure basic standards of health care are met.

“That is why we’re bringing these services directly to those who need it and achieving better health outcomes across the board.”

Amanda Kailis, WA Liberal Candidate for Pilbara, welcomed the WA Liberals’ commitment to restoring regional services, and addressing dental issues in the Pilbara.

“Our Building a Better Future blueprint puts restoring regional services at the forefront of our commitment to West Australians,” said Ms Kailis.

“I frequently hear on the ground about the issues with treating tooth decay from parents and grandparents worried about their kids.

“It should never have been allowed to get to this point, but this announcement shows the WA Liberals commitment to regional people, and ensuring all West Australians get the services they deserve, irrespective of where they live.”

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