Greens say health, education, housing must be budget priority

[Willis, Katrina (Sen B. Brown)]

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MEDIA RELEASE

Sunday, 9 May 2004

Greens say health, education, housing must be budget priority


Dental care should be universally affordable

The budget surplus of up to $9 billion must be spent on health,
education, housing and other services, not tax cuts, Greens Senator Bob
Brown said today.

"One priority is dental care. We call on Treasurer Costello to fund a
national dental care system so that everyone has access to affordable
dentistry for medically required care," Senator Brown said.

"The Private Health Insurance Rebate has had the perverse effect of
general taxes assisting the wealthy to obtain dental care while the poor
and elderly suffer.

"In an age of exploded house prices and rent rates, affordable housing
is a Greens priority. The government should boost public housing for
low-income earners and their families."

Senator Brown said the government should reverse last week's inane
decision not to fund co-operative research centres with environmental
outcomes such as solar power, rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef.

And he called for the government to adopt the Green Bonds proposal to
raise $3.5 billion annually through Commonwealth bonds hypothecated to
infrastructure such as fast, clean public transport within and between
Australia's great cities.

More information: Katrina Willis 02 6277 3170 or 0419 704 095 






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