Victoria Pledges $230M for Australia's First Free Public Dental Clinics

Victorian Labor, led by Premier Ben Carroll, has pledged $230 million to open ten free public dental clinics if re-elected — an Australia-first. The clinics would provide checkups, fillings, root canals, and extractions, treating over 100,000 Victorians yearly by mid-2027. Carroll called it "structural cost-of-living support." The opposition cites a seven-month median public dental wait, versus one month in NSW.