Victorian Labor promises free dental care if re-elected in Australia-first move

Premier Ben Carroll says $230m would be earmarked for 10 public dental clinics to operate on a walk-in basis

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.

The premier, Ben Carroll , will announce the plan – Labor’s first major election commitment – at a rally on Saturday to mark fewer than 100 days until Victorians go to the polls.

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.

Carroll described the plan as “structural cost-of-living support” and a national-first intervention by a state government.

“Only Labor will deliver free dental care for all Victorians,” he said in a statement.

The health minister, Ingrid Stitt, described the plan as the dental equivalent of the state’s urgent care clinics, where people can “turn up and get the care you need”.

“Getting dental care shouldn’t be determined by your bank balance or where you live,” Stitt said.

Following the announcement, an opposition spokesperson said the government’s “mismanagement of our health system” 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 .

“Labor can’t staff the dental services we already have, yet want Victorians to believe they can suddenly provide free dental care for seven million people,” they said.

The Victorian Greens said the announcement of a “handful of free dental clinics shows that Labor only acts on the cost of living when it faces electoral wipeout”.

“It’s a start – but with only enough places for a stadium’s worth of Victorians, getting an appointment will be harder than scoring Taylor Swift tickets,” said health spokesperson, Dr Sarah Mansfield.

The Victorian Council of Social Service (Vcoss) welcomed the announcement, but called on the government to ensure “that these services are designed to reach low-income Victorians first and foremost”.

Vcoss CEO Juanita Pope said unaffordable dental costs had led to people “raiding their future retirement savings … or simply deferring the economic pain of a trip to the dentist while putting up with the inevitable physical pain.”