Adam Bandt’s latest call to put dental care under Medicare has sparked both cheers and questions as the Greens push a health policy with real bite. With the federal election approaching, the party has zeroed in on teeth, or rather, the lack of care many Australians can afford.
The plan is straightforward on the surface. Tax big corporates and fund free dental through Medicare. Under the Greens’ pitch, the average Australian could save upwards of $900 a year on dental visits. The proposed model is to be bankrolled by a tax on what the Greens describe as “excessive profits” made by large corporations—profits Bandt says have ballooned while households tighten their belts.
On social media, the message is cheeky and simple: “Dental into Medicare: it just makes sense.” Bandt has argued the logic is clear—oral health is health. “That’s plenty to smile about,” he said, unveiling the party’s $54 billion plan to expand Medicare to include dental and create 1,000 new public health clinics around the country.
But it’s not a universal chorus of approval. Critics have raised concerns about the numbers behind the pitch. They argue that putting such a large health plan on the back of corporate tax could introduce risks to economic stability. Some business lobby groups claim such a tax hike might drive investment elsewhere or result in job losses.
Economists are split. Some say there’s merit in using windfall profits from sectors like mining and banking to plug holes in essential services. Others suggest the broader economic flow-on effects could outweigh the intended savings. With dental delays already commonplace—more than half of Australians reportedly avoid seeing the dentist due to costs—the problem the Greens are flagging is real enough.
Experts in public health back the idea that preventive care, especially dental, has long been ignored in Australia’s universal health system. Untreated oral disease can lead to complications that stretch far beyond the mouth, adding to hospital admissions and lowering quality of life. For lower-income households, cost barriers often mean waiting until a toothache becomes an emergency.
Bandt is leaning into that frustration. “People shouldn’t be putting off going to the dentist because they can’t afford it. It’s healthcare. It should be covered.”
The promise of new clinics is meant to further sweeten the deal, especially in rural and outer suburban areas where both dental and GP services are thin on the ground. But again, the price tag is bold. With cost-of-living pressures already fuelling voter discontent, questions about how the $54 billion figure will stretch—and over how many years—remain open.
Labor has previously supported more modest moves to boost dental access, especially for children and pensioners, but hasn’t gone so far as to fold it fully into Medicare. The Coalition, meanwhile, has remained largely silent on the issue during this campaign cycle.
Voters will have to decide whether the Greens’ plan is a much-needed reform or an expensive promise without a firm fiscal footing. Either way, it’s clear that teeth—those often-neglected bits of the human body—have found their way into the centre of the political debate.
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