Sharon Bird and Stephen Jones have slammed Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberal Government over their decision to deny Illawarra residents access to life-changing dental services a result of the Liberal Governments cuts to adult public dental services. These changes will see waiting lists grow across the country.
NSW Governmentfiguresshow that there are already more than 2000 adults waiting for critical dental treatment in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven Malcolm Turnbulls cruel dental cuts will only make this worse.
In the Illawarra and Southern Highlands there are also approximately 17,000 families with children who could be eligible for the Childrens Dental Benefit Scheme with almost 500 children already waiting for assessment and treatment. These children will lose as much as $300 in essential dental support because of these cuts.
Labor fought the Governments plans to abolish the CDBS altogether and we are pleased that the Government has been forced to back down. However we do not support the reduction to $700 ripping even more funding out of family health budgets.
The Governments own figures show that 20 per cent of children have a usage above $700. As a result of Malcolm Turnbulls cruel cuts, one in five Australian children will have to limit essential dental care.
Sharon Bird said good dental health is essential for good health, self-esteem and employment.
Disadvantaged Australians should not be denied access to good dental services. Poor dental health can inhibit people from obtaining jobs. Malcolm Turnbull thinks it is ok to give big tax cuts to big business but cut essential services, like dental care, to disadvantaged people, Sharon Bird said.
Stephen Jones said that this was just another cut to health services and there was no health service that Malcolm Turnbull wouldnt destroy.
Weve seen the six year freeze on Medicare rebates, bulk billing incentives for diagnostic imaging and pathology axed, increases to PBS co-payments and millions ripped from Medicare Safety Nets, Stephen Jones said.
Malcolm Turnbull simply doesnt care about the impact of his health cuts on Australian families.
THURSDAY, 22 DECEMBER 2016
