Wednesday, 22 March 2023

 Kathleen MATTHEWS-WARD (Broadmeadows) (19:18): (119) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Health, and the action I am seeking is that the minister provide me with an update on the rollout of the Smile Squad in my electorate of Broadmeadows and other actions the Victorian government is taking to support good oral and dental health for my constituents. Dental conditions are the highest single cause of preventable hospitalisations for children under the age of 10, and getting the dental care kids, not to mention adults, need can be incredibly expensive as well as time consuming, and it is sometimes tricky to get an appointment. Smile Squad solves all this by giving students completely free dental check-ups and treatment, including teeth cleaning, fluoride application, fissure sealants, fillings and root canals, all during school hours.

It was great to celebrate World Oral Health Day at the wonderful Glenroy Central Primary on Monday with Minister Thomas and the awesome Smile Squad team from Merri Health. Minister Thomas announced that all Victorian government primary, secondary and specialist schools have now been invited to participate in the program, and from 2026 this will extend to all low-fee non-government schools too. With more Victorian students accessing free oral care, the Labor government is also recruiting more dental assistants. A dental assistant traineeship program is supporting recruits with training, mentoring and supervision to undertake the certificate III dental assisting traineeship.

It was great to meet Sasi the other day as one of the 100 new dental assistant trainees, who was really enjoying the opportunity to learn and earn as she goes. The program provides employment opportunities to people who are experiencing long-term unemployment, the culturally diverse, women over 45, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and newly arrived migrants. Trainees have found positions at health services across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. The majority of recruits are women, and one in five are newly arrived migrants to Victoria.

The Andrews Labor government has made a transformative investment in preventative and public health through establishing Smile Squad. By providing free care and treatment, oral health issues are able to be stopped before they become serious, good routines are established and everyone gets the care they need, which is even more important during tough times, when dental bills can be difficult for families. Good oral health is central to good overall health and wellbeing, and prevention is the key to good oral health. This government is looking after kids’ teeth, saving families time and money and providing jobs and learning opportunities. What is not to smile about?