The Victorian Labor government will take an Australian-first proposal to the November state election, promising free dental checkups and treatment at 10 new public clinics operating on a walk-in basis. Premier Ben Carroll will announce the plan, Labor's first major election commitment, at a rally on Saturday, marking fewer than 100 days until Victorians go to the polls.
Carroll said a re-elected Labor government would spend $230 million to open 10 public dental clinics across the state, where oral care clinicians would provide free checkups and treatments, including fillings, root canals, and extractions. He described the plan as "structural cost-of-living support" and a national-first intervention by a state government.
Details of the Proposal
Under the proposal, seven of the public dental clinics would be located in Melbourne and three in regional Victoria, targeting areas with gaps in services. The clinics would be open from 9am to 9pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on weekends, operating on a walk-in basis. Priority would be given to people with the most urgent needs, including those experiencing dental pain, swelling, or who have had an accident.
Once fully operational, the government said the clinics would treat more than 100,000 Victorians a year. The health minister, Ingrid Stitt, described the plan as the dental equivalent of the state's urgent care clinics, where people can "turn up and get the care you need." Stitt added, "Getting dental care shouldn't be determined by your bank balance or where you live."
Context and Cost of Dental Care
The state's urgent care clinics were similarly unveiled just three months before the 2022 Victorian election as part of a joint announcement with New South Wales. The federal government later began contributing funding to those clinics and expanded the rollout. It is unclear whether the Victorian government will seek federal funding or involvement in the proposed dental clinics.
Across most of Australia, free or low-cost dental care is currently only available to specific eligible groups such as children and young people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and those with concession cards. In Victoria, $239 million was allocated in the 2026-27 budget to dental services, including the Smile Squad program in public schools. However, Medicare does not cover dental care for most adults, leaving millions of Australians to choose between paying out of pocket or skipping treatment.
Financial Impact and Political Context
According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data, Australia spends more than $12 billion on dental services. About 61% of that cost falls to the individual, health insurance funds cover 19%, the federal government covers 11%, and state governments cover 8%. There has also been a sharp rise in applications to access superannuation early to fund dental treatment.
Guardian Australia reported in 2025 that people struggling to afford dental bills were delaying or skipping treatment, while untreated tooth decay was increasing and record numbers of Australians were presenting to hospitals for dental procedures. Later that year, during the federal election, the Greens campaigned heavily on their plan to expand Medicare to cover dental services for adults, costed at $195 billion over 10 years. The party went backwards at the election but continues to pursue the policy.
Federal Labor backbenchers have also previously expressed support for putting dental treatment into Medicare, and it remains in the party platform. In Victoria, Labor sources are hopeful Carroll's announcement will shift the party into campaign mode after weeks spent seeking to differentiate himself from his predecessors, Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan, including by calling a royal commission into the construction sector and pausing the passage of work from home legislation. However, sources have said the dental policy was developed under Allan and her team.
