Australian Greens health spokesperson, Senator Richard Di Natale, today announced the Greens costed policy for getting dental into Medicare.

“The Greens already delivered the foundations for Denticare and now we want to finish the job,” said Senator Di Natale

“From January, 3.4 million kids will be able to go to the dentist through a Medicare entitlement. And now the Greens have a fully-costed plan to expand the coverage of the entitlement over 5 years, until everyone is covered.

The Australian Greens today welcome the introduction of legislation to create a Medicare dental entitlement into the Parliament.

“Creating a new Medicare dental entitlement for kids is a huge win for the health of Australians and an investment in their future, and has come about because of the Greens’ agreement with the Gillard government,” said Christine Milne, Leader of the Australian Greens.

“If Melbourne hadn’t voted Green in 2010, this massive investment in dental health wouldn’t exist,” said Adam Bandt, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens.

Millions of Australians can't afford to see a dentist. More than 60,000 avoidable hospital visits are caused by untreated dental problems every year - along with thousands more visits to the GP. We know why: one in three people say they can't afford to go to the dentist, or delay going to the dentist because of the cost. Low income earners, Indigenous people and those who live outside major cities are by far the hardest hit.

Greens' spokesperson for health, Senator Richard Di Natale, and Greens MP, Adam Bandt, said today that the Greens had secured $165 million in funding for dental health. The commitment to allocate the money raised by the Medicare Levy Surcharge towards dental care comes in response to the Greens support for passage of the Government's private health insurance package.

"Access to dental care is one of the biggest areas of inequality in Australia," said Senator Di Natale.