❓ Mr. Board questions the Minister for Health about the lack of a Dental Board, impacting dentist registration and complaint investigations. The Minister acknowledges the issue, stating appointments are being processed with consideration for balance and expertise.
AnsweredQoN 186Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the minister’s failure to appoint a new Dental Board of Western Australia since the expiration of its term on 6 September this year. (1) Is the minister aware that without an incumbent dental board, new dentists - those coming to Western Australia from other countries as well as those returning to the profession - are unable to be registered, including a Busselton practitioner who was forced recently to register in Adelaide so she could return to work from maternity leave? (2) Is the minister also aware that investigations into patients’ complaints cannot be progressed without a serving dental board and that current complaints are in limbo? (3) Can the minister confirm that without the immediate appointment of a dental board, it could be months before such a board would begin sitting, leaving the dental system to fall into some disarray? Mr R.C. KUCERA
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
(1) Is the minister aware that without an incumbent dental board, new dentists - those coming to Western Australia from other countries as well as those returning to the profession - are unable to be registered, including a Busselton practitioner who was forced recently to register in Adelaide so she could return to work from maternity leave? (2) Is the minister also aware that investigations into patients’ complaints cannot be progressed without a serving dental board and that current complaints are in limbo? (3) Can the minister confirm that without the immediate appointment of a dental board, it could be months before such a board would begin sitting, leaving the dental system to fall into some disarray? Mr R.C. KUCERA replied: (1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
(2) Is the minister also aware that investigations into patients’ complaints cannot be progressed without a serving dental board and that current complaints are in limbo? (3) Can the minister confirm that without the immediate appointment of a dental board, it could be months before such a board would begin sitting, leaving the dental system to fall into some disarray? Mr R.C. KUCERA replied: (1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
(3) Can the minister confirm that without the immediate appointment of a dental board, it could be months before such a board would begin sitting, leaving the dental system to fall into some disarray? Mr R.C. KUCERA replied: (1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
Mr R.C. KUCERA replied: (1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
(1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
(1) Is the minister aware that without an incumbent dental board, new dentists - those coming to Western Australia from other countries as well as those returning to the profession - are unable to be registered, including a Busselton practitioner who was forced recently to register in Adelaide so she could return to work from maternity leave? (2) Is the minister also aware that investigations into patients’ complaints cannot be progressed without a serving dental board and that current complaints are in limbo? (3) Can the minister confirm that without the immediate appointment of a dental board, it could be months before such a board would begin sitting, leaving the dental system to fall into some disarray? Mr R.C. KUCERA replied: (1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
(2) Is the minister also aware that investigations into patients’ complaints cannot be progressed without a serving dental board and that current complaints are in limbo? (3) Can the minister confirm that without the immediate appointment of a dental board, it could be months before such a board would begin sitting, leaving the dental system to fall into some disarray? Mr R.C. KUCERA replied: (1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
(3) Can the minister confirm that without the immediate appointment of a dental board, it could be months before such a board would begin sitting, leaving the dental system to fall into some disarray? Mr R.C. KUCERA replied: (1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
Mr R.C. KUCERA replied: (1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
(1)-(3) I am not aware of the current situation with the dental board. I know that recently I have signed letters of appointment for people to the board. A process is in place whereby all these issues can be handled. As the member for Murdoch is well aware, the process of appointment is handled properly and sensibly. I have sent back many board appointments, so that there can be some decent balance, not only for gender but also for expertise, on this State’s boards. All the boards need to be balanced sensibly and they need to be able to carry out their roles. That is what is being undertaken at this time.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.