The Federal Government has promised increased access for subsidised dental services in a $5 billion plan but Labor says it will result in a $1 billion cut to healthcare.

The Coalition has unveiled a new national scheme that provides subsidised care for all children in Australia aged under 18 years, removing a means test that limits the number of families eligible for treatment.

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The plan will also cover 5 million adults who hold Commonwealth concession cards.

The Government will scrap the Child Dental Benefits Scheme (CDBS), which was introduced under the former Labor government and provided vouchers of up to $1,000 for low-to-middle income families to be treated at private dentist clinics.

The new program will instead be directed towards publicly funded dentists and expand the number of “clinically necessary” services subsidised by the Government.

The changes, which need to be approved by federal Parliament, require new funding agreements with the state and territory governments.

It will be paid using savings from elsewhere in the health budget.

Sussan Ley is confident waiting lists will not blow out.

Health Minister Sussan Ley said she is positive of striking a new deal.

“This scheme, when legislated — and I’m confident that it will be — will be the first time that the Commonwealth makes long-term, ongoing investment in a national dental framework, with the state governments at the table,” she said.

The Government said the program will cost $5 billion over five years, including a $2.1 billion deal the Commonwealth intends to strike with the state governments, which will manage the scheme.

Shorten describes dental health plan as a ‘hoax’

Labor warns the plan will also see a cut in overall funding for dental health care by $1 billion over the next four years.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said there could also be a big blowout in waiting lists for publicly funded dentists because the scheme will also include adults with concession cards.

“This is a hoax of a plan for dental care,” Mr Shorten said.

“This is the equivalent of cutting Medicare and flooding the emergency wards of Australian hospitals with more patients.”

A spokesman for Ms Ley confirmed the $1 billion cut but said it came from money that was not spent under Labor’s CDBS, arguing the old arrangements were ineffective and inefficient.

Ms Ley said she had “every confidence” waiting lists would not blowout as a result of the Coalition’s new arrangements.

“We won’t see increased waiting lists because we’re adding double the current funding to the state governments, and they are responsible for the waiting lists,” she said.

“This is not aimed at well-off families who can afford their own dental care, it’s unlikely they would choose the public system.”

Ms Ley conceded there are “always balancing acts” within the health portfolio, but that details of how it would be funded would be unveiled in the May budget.

Dentists groups criticises Coalition plan as ‘fanciful’

The Australian Dental Association (ADA) said the Federal Government was taking a “back of the envelope” approach to the issue.

ADA president Dr Rick Olive said it was a “fanciful” proposal that would see overall Commonwealth funding cut to the sector and add to waiting lists.

“The state and territory public sector dental services are already over extended with waiting lists of between nine months to three years depending which state you consider,” Dr Olive said.

He urged the Federal Government to retain the CBDS.