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 Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast 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.

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