Victorian Labor promises free dental care if re-elected in Australia-first move
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/22/victoria-labor-free-dental-care-ben-carroll-election-promiseOpen linkView original on aussie.zoneSyndicated from the fediverse. Read and engage on the original instance.
View original on aussie.zonehttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/22/victoria-labor-free-dental-care-ben-carroll-election-promiseOpen linkView original on aussie.zone
29 replies
Why not do it rn? I mean, show how serious your commitment is
To play devils avocado, if they start now and the opposition get in, they will just tank the policy because Labor. Theres already precedent with the shit ass "Copper" change to the nbn that cost the public way more than just using fiber everywhere.
Which would give everyone a stick to beat the libs with foreeever
Yeah and people remember th NBN as having a shit rollout because of the LNP.
I agree with the above commenter, they should just do it if they really wanted to.
Because they're full of shit, just like all of the opposition.
That's not really how the political cycle works. An expensive policy like this needs to be taken to an election, so people can decide whether they really think it's a good idea. If they get elected then they have a mandate to implement it.
Yeah, nah
Unless they’re lying and don’t intend to follow through, they’ve budgeted for it or it’s been costed. The public won’t disapprove of it by majority.
That sounds like an engineered Labor PR excuse to be honest.
Sorry mate, I don't know what to tell you. This is how the political cycle works. Announce a big policy and take it to an election so the public can decide whether they want it.
You don't know that. It's an expensive policy, and plenty of people with private health insurance would feel like their taxes are subsidising the bad decisions of the poors.
Yeah don’t try and condescend. Labor had no dramas handing out billions over AUKUS without taking that to an election. So no, it’s how it works when Labor wish to pork barrel, and that’s exactly what they’re doing here.
Yeah, I do. It’s free dental, of course the majority would want it, particularly Victoria which might be our most progressive state.
If everyone wants free dental then why isn't it already a thing?
If it's such a no-brainer with obvious unilateral support then why isn't it included in medicare? Or why doesn't every state government implement it?
Probably because the majors haven’t had a political reason until now
Same reason. Have you noticed that for years the better option has wanted it?
You understand how our politics works don’t you?
Edit
They do, to health care card holders
Sorry boss, you don't seem to understand how our politics works.
Why haven't the majors had a political reason until now? Every major party has wanted to be elected since forever. If this is such a straight shot, an obvious win, why hasn't one of the major parties just done it?
That's subjective, obviously: I'm not sure who your "better option" is but given that we do not have free dental I can only conclude that this better option is a minor party. This might shock you but minor parties can just make up whatever policies will gather votes for them because they don't have to form government and actually implement them.
We're not talking about only health care card holders.
Let's hope that he is successful, and that it takes off
hooray for the evil faction of the lesser evil party
I'll take less evil over PHON or something similar
Thank god we have preferential voting. It must be death being a leftist in the US and having to deal with the annoyance of criticising the obviously right wing Democrats and having "centrists" tell them not to because it's helping the Republicans.
Well, I have encountered Labor members like this, but luckily most people don't because preferential voting exists.
I'll take Labor over the LNP and PHON, but heck, the Labor party is pretty shit too, and we need not support it
I vote for the greens, or the local equivalent every time
I don't always agree with them, and I miss DeNatali as their leader because he was actually scientifically literate, but they're leagues better than the other parties, particularly in my home of Tasmania
Not close either, is it?
Federally, they’re miles in front of Labor on every metric. They’re now beginning to show some foreign policy skill and spine in the way their Senators, particularly Shoebridge, are dealing with the Israel issue.
They have good policies, good people and they know how to govern, unlike the claims that Labor PR, who are as piss weak as their party, want to push.
I’ve been voting Green for 35 years. They’ve always been better than Labor.
Same but we don't want a democrats situation where people have the legitimate point they're both shit and therefore labor/liberal implode. of course liberals are suffering a well deserved implosion. Labor looks strong rn but there is potential to implode (look at vic labor) We should place pressure on labor to be much less evil (looking at you minns) so people want to vote for them rather than holding their nose while voting.
Labor and the Libs are far closer in Tassie than other places, but that's a combo of Labor being worse and the Libs being marginally less awful than in the mainland
Lotsa idiots down here though unfortunately
If Australians hadn't been deliberately voting for the lesser evil for decades, maybe Australia wouldn't be one of the bad guys?
The duopoly appreciates your (illusion of) choice.
The stink of desperation is palpable
To be implemented in full in 2045… lol the dental association and the AMA will execute you if you make their members less profitable
The private dental clinic we use support state funding for dental services.
They say it would bring many more in and stabilise appointments. They’ve been urging the local federal MP to support it for years.
They’re the best dentist here as well, by a long way.
They're already squealing to get on medicare because cost of living means their profits are drying up.