In a campaign move more theatrical than substantial, Greens leader Adam Bandt unveiled his party’s flagship promise to fold dental care into Medicare, flanked by a giant toothbrush and candidates more focused on spectacle than specifics.
Bandt’s announcement, staged in front of Melbourne’s Luna Park with its famously decaying Mr Moon smile as backdrop, was meant to symbolise Australia’s dental crisis. But critics say the Greens’ proposal to fund universal dental care by taxing “big corporations” is light on economic logic and heavy on populist posturing.
Big smiles, small details
Speaking to the media with a three-foot toothbrush in hand, Bandt declared,
“You shouldn’t have to pay through the teeth to see a dentist.”
The Greens leader blamed corporate profits for rising inequality and claimed their “dental into Medicare” plan would be paid for by taxing big businesses.
But beyond the catchy slogans and props, the Greens offered little concrete detail on how they would implement the scheme, what it would cost, or how they’d ensure it wouldn’t collapse under its own weight like past attempts at dental reform. Analysts note the policy seems designed more to generate headlines than policy results.
The Parliamentary Budget Office has previously estimated that adding comprehensive dental to Medicare could cost upwards of $9 billion a year — a figure the Greens routinely ignore or dismiss as “manageable.” No modelling or financial breakdown was provided during the Luna Park event.
This isn’t the first time the Greens have overpromised on health policy. Their 2012 negotiations in the Gillard-era minority government resulted in limited dental benefits for children, but critics argue even that rollout faced administrative delays and funding bottlenecks.
Today, Bandt claims the 2025 election could usher in another minority government where the Greens might “hold the balance of power.” But this strategy increasingly resembles political opportunism: using policy platforms like dental care as bargaining chips rather than serious policy roadmaps.
At the heart of the Greens’ plan is their go-to funding source: higher corporate taxes. But economists have long warned that over-reliance on this approach risks undermining investment, productivity, and business confidence.
Bandt gave no indication of how these taxes would be calculated, which industries would be targeted, or how such measures would affect jobs, particularly in an already fragile post-COVID economy. The party also failed to address how the public system would cope with an influx of new dental patients given existing capacity issues in Medicare.
Political theatre in place of policy
Critics across the political spectrum have dismissed the announcement as yet another Greens stunt — big on visuals, vague on policy.
“Australians deserve access to better dental care,” said one Labor MP privately, “but Bandt walking around with a novelty toothbrush doesn’t make it any more likely to happen.”
Indeed, the stunt may backfire in outer-suburban and regional electorates, where voters are looking for economic credibility, not oversized props. With rising living costs, a housing crunch, and healthcare systems under strain, many are questioning whether the Greens are serious about governance or just playing to the gallery.
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