Morrison won’t risk dental funding showdown states with before poll

The $240m adult dental agreement ends on June 30 but Scott Morrison is avoiding negotiations with the states.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt. Picture: AAP

The Morrison government will seek to avoid having to negotiate a new adult dental agreement with the states before the next election.

In August, the Council of Australian Governments Health Council, at the urging of NSW Liberal Health Minister Brad Hazzard, resolved to begin “formal negotiations to achieve fair, long-term public dental funding ­arrangements”.

The $240 million adult dental agreement is to end on June 30, while state and territory access to the Child Dental Benefits Schedule — which has paid out more than $1.4 billion over the past five years — is secured only until ­December 31.

However, without discussion, the commonwealth included in its December budget update $108m to extend the existing adult dental agreement until June 2020.

A spokeswoman for federal Health Minister Greg Hunt yesterday said he would seek state and territory agreement to the extension “in the coming weeks”. The commonwealth is also considering an extension of the access period for the CDBS.

These measures would provide a “foundation for further negoti­ations on long-term and sustainable funding for public dental services”, she said.

It was unclear last night whether the states would agree to an ­extension.

The public hospital and reform agreement is due to expire in 2020 and will be left to the next government to negotiate. Queensland and Victoria have so far refused to agree to Mr Hunt’s proposed terms for negotiations.

Federal Labor has long criticised the lack of commonwealth dental funding, particularly for preventive care, and is expected to campaign on the issue.

The commonwealth contribution to dental work in public hospitals had increased by 37 per cent in a year to $145m in 2016-17.

A national data update on dental health will be released this year.