LETTER TO THE EDITOR
APPARENTLY the member for Bundaberg thinks it’s OK for people to wait two years to have much needed dental treatment (NM 11/10).
Clearly her Labor party has bungled the dental waitlist here in Bundaberg and across Queensland and now she is desperate to pass the buck.
In just 12 months we have seen the number of people waiting up to two years for general dental blow out from 947 to 1657.
I also remind the Member for Bundaberg that Labor had left 61,405 dental patients waiting for more than two years at the change of government in 2012.
It wasn’t until the LNP took over that we were able to completely obliterate that wait list by June 2014.
It’s not good enough for ‘Do Nothing Leanne Donaldson’ and Labor to blame Canberra for their mess.
They run the dental clinics.
The argument put forward by Labor’s incompetent Health Minister doesn’t stack up.
On one hand he says how great the Bundaberg clinic is and that Wide Bay saw a record number of people, then claims the blow out in waiting times is Canberra’s fault.
What Labor doesn’t say is Canberra has kicked in an extra $320 million into dental care over the next three years for States and Territories.
Labor are in charge of managing public dental in Queensland, not Canberra.
It was only a few months ago Labor were crowing about the record amounts of money being spent in health and yet services are getting worse – they can’t have it both ways.
The people of Bundaberg deserve better.
STEPHEN BENNETT MP
Member for Burnett
11 October 2017