{"id":7043516,"date":"2026-08-22T04:19:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T04:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/victorian-labor-promises-free-dental-care-if-re-elected-in-australia-first-move-victorian-politics\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T04:19:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T04:19:34","slug":"victorian-labor-promises-free-dental-care-if-re-elected-in-australia-first-move-victorian-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7043516","title":{"rendered":"Victorian Labor promises free dental care if re-elected in Australia-first move | Victorian politics"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Victorians would be able to walk into a dental clinic and receive free checkups and treatment under an Australian-first proposal the Labor government will take to the November state election.<\/p>\n

The premier, Ben Carroll<\/a>, will announce the plan \u2013 Labor\u2019s first major election commitment \u2013 at a rally on Saturday to mark fewer than 100 days until Victorians go to the polls.<\/p>\n

Carroll will say a re-elected Labor government would spend $230m to open 10 public dental clinics across the state, where oral care clinicians would be able to provide free checkups and treatments, including fillings, root canals and extractions.<\/p>\n

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Carroll described the plan as \u201cstructural cost-of-living support\u201d and a national-first intervention by a state government.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly Labor will deliver free dental care for all Victorians,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The health minister, Ingrid Stitt, described the plan as the dental equivalent of the state\u2019s urgent care clinics, where people can \u201cturn up and get the care you need\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting dental care shouldn\u2019t be determined by your bank balance or where you live,\u201d Stitt said.<\/p>\n

Following the announcement, an opposition spokesperson said the government\u2019s \u201cmismanagement of our health system\u201d meant the median waiting time for public dental care in Victoria was seven months, compared to one month in NSW, according to Productivity Commission data<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cLabor can\u2019t staff the dental services we already have, yet want Victorians to believe they can suddenly provide free dental care for seven million people,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

The Victorian Greens said the announcement of a \u201chandful of free dental clinics shows that Labor only acts on the cost of living when it faces electoral wipeout\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a start \u2013 but with only enough places for a stadium\u2019s worth of Victorians, getting an appointment will be harder than scoring Taylor Swift tickets,\u201d said health spokesperson, Dr Sarah Mansfield.<\/p>\n

The Victorian Council of Social Service (Vcoss) welcomed the announcement, but called on the government to ensure \u201cthat these services are designed to reach low-income Victorians first and foremost\u201d.<\/p>\n

Vcoss CEO Juanita Pope said unaffordable dental costs had led to people \u201craiding their future retirement savings \u2026 or simply deferring the economic pain of a trip to the dentist while putting up with the inevitable physical pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walk-in basis<\/h2>\n

Under the proposal, seven of the public dental clinics would be located in Melbourne and three in regional Victoria, in areas where there are gaps in services.<\/p>\n

The clinics would be open from 9am to 9pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on weekends and would operate on a walk-in basis, with priority given to people with the most urgent needs, including those experiencing dental pain or swelling or who have had an accident.<\/p>\n

Once fully operational, the government said they would treat more than 100,000 Victorians a year.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s urgent care clinics were similarly unveiled just three months before the 2022 Victorian election as part of a joint announcement<\/a> with New South Wales.<\/p>\n

The federal government also began contributing funding to the clinics and expanded the rollout. It is unclear whether the Victorian government will seek federal funding or involvement in the proposed dental clinics.<\/p>\n

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