Family violence causes lasting physical and psychological harm and can lead to death. On average in Australia:

Support options

Our report discusses family violence, which involves behaviour that is physically, emotionally or economically abusive, threatening, coercive and controlling. If you or someone you know is affected by family violence, support options are available. These include:

Acronyms

Independent assurance report to Parliament

Ordered to be published

VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT PRINTER May 2020

PP No 131, Session 2018–20

Independent assurance report to Parliament

Ordered to be published

VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT PRINTER November 2019

PP No 98, Session 2018–19

We have consulted with DHHS and DHSV and we considered their views when reaching our audit conclusions. As required by the Audit Act 1994, we gave a draft copy of this report, or relevant extracts, to those agencies and asked for their submissions and comments.

Responsibility for the accuracy, fairness and balance of those comments rests solely with the agency head.

Responses were received as follows:

• DHHS
• DHSV

RESPONSE provided by Deputy Secretary, Health and Wellbeing, DHHS

Collecting appropriate data on public dental service patients is critical for monitoring and reporting on whether services are improving oral health outcomes.

Our 2016 audit found that DHSV collected limited data about the clinical oral health of eligible adults on entry to services. It does not collect this data when care had been completed, or when a patient returns to the service to determine whether their oral health has improved.

While work progresses on the development of new funding models and MoCs for public dental services, it is important that eligible patients can continue to access services and receive the treatment they require.

Our 2016 audit identified some issues with eligible patients not accessing public dental services.

One concerned the way in which CDAs managed their waiting lists. This included placing patients on a waiting list at the time of service entry, with no assessment of their oral health need or risk of deterioration while waiting for care.

Funding models and MoCs are central to how public dental services are delivered. MoCs influence how CDAs deliver services to eligible patients, while funding models and clinical assessment drives the types of services they deliver.

1.1 Oral health

Good oral health is important in its own right, and because of its close link with general health and wellbeing.

Poor oral health is a significant contributor to the burden of disease in Australia. Oral disease is a key marker of disadvantage, as it is more often experienced by individuals with low socio-economic status.

Although common, most oral disease can be prevented. Notably, a preventive approach to oral health is widely recognised as the most cost-effective approach to improving oral health outcomes.