June 19, 2008 THE Opposition has stymied another Rudd Government Budget measure by temporarily keeping a doomed Medicare dental scheme.
The Coalition used its Senate majority – due to expire at the end of next week – to disallow abolition of Medicare Dental, established by the Howard Government.
The scheme offered up to $4250 over two years for people with chronic dental health problems.
It was forecast to cost $13 million over the next five years, and has already assisted more than 311,000 people.
The Government has argued the scheme isn't working and funding is needed instead for its new teen dental program.
It planned to end the scheme on June 30 for treatment started before March 30 this year.
"The Opposition is strongly of the view that the Medicare dental scheme has been of immense benefit to Australians suffering chronic dental health problems," Coalition parliamentary secretary Richard Colbeck told Parliament.
There had been a 25-fold increase in usage of the scheme during the past five months, giving the lie to Government claims the scheme had failed and should be replaced, he said.
Dental industry groups and leading dental health experts supported Coalition attempts to try to retain the scheme.
Government Senate manager Joe Ludwig said the present scheme was a failure.
"When they (the Coalition) were in government, they ripped $100 million out of the health and dental area, axed $100 million a year in the CDHP (Commonwealth Dental Health Plan) as soon as they were elected," he said.
"The (disallowance) motion today is an irresponsible act by an Opposition that still can't accept that they lost the election, still can't accept that the reins have passed over to the Rudd Government."
It was not immediately clear whether the Government would try again to abolish the dental scheme after July 1, when the balance of power in the Senate is held by the minor parties and an independent senator.
