On 23 and 24 July, ADIA Director of Policy and Education, Dr Sarah Raphael represented the association at the Federal Labor Business Exchange in Adelaide, held alongside the 50th Australian Labor Party National Conference.

Across the two-day program, Sarah met with senior members of the Albanese Government, including:

• Minister Mark Butler - Health and Ageing, Disability and the NDIS
• Minister Sam Rae - Aged Care and Seniors
• Assistant Minister Rebecca White - Women, Indigenous Health and Health and Aged Care
• Assistant Minister Emma McBride - Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Rural and Regional Health
• Minister Tanya Plibersek - Social Services
• Assistant Minister Ged Kearney - Social Services and the Prevention of Family Violence
• Minister Jess Walsh - Early Childhood Education and Youth
• Minister Anne Aly - International Development, Small Business and Multicultural Affairs

The meetings provided an important opportunity to discuss the dental industry’s priorities and strengthen relationships with ministers responsible for health, aged care, social services and small business, all which intersect with the dental industry.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered the keynote address at the Business Exchange lunch.

A Roadmap to Oral Health Reform

A significant outcome from the National Conference was the passage of an amendment to Labor’s policy platform committing the party to develop a roadmap to include dental services in Medicare. The roadmap would use a staged and evidence-based approach to improve access, prioritising people at the highest risk in the community. This represents an important policy development for oral health and provides a foundation for further engagement on how any future expansion could be designed and delivered.

Last week ADIA returned to Australian Parliament House for its 2026 Parliamentary Roundtable. President Ryan Green together with ADIA Board directors and members met with parliamentarians and senior departmental representatives to discuss opportunities to improve oral health outcomes across Australia.

The Roundtable provided a direct forum for ADIA delegates to raise priority issues affecting the dental industry and the broader community. Discussions focused on improving awareness and uptake of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, supporting better access to oral health care in aged care, and ensuring product regulation balances patient safety expectations with the ability to foster innovative product technology in Australia.

A key focus of the day was ADIA’s Bite Sized Beginnings pilot, which attracted strong interest from both parliamentarians and senior members of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The program was recognised for its potential to support early childhood oral health education, reach families through early learning settings, and help identify oral health issues before they become serious. The discussions highlighted the value of case studies, stronger data and practical evidence to demonstrate how prevention can reduce avoidable hospitalisations and improve outcomes for children.

The roundtable also marked an important advocacy milestone, with the Parliamentary Friends of Dental and Oral Health group reformed and co-chaired by Senator Helen Polley and Dr Monique Ryan MP.

ADIA welcomed this important opportunity to engage with Parliamentarians and Departmental staff and guests in a constructive day of discussion. The insights shared will help inform ADIA’s ongoing advocacy for a stronger dental industry and better oral health for all Australians.

If you would like to discuss any areas of ADIA’s Government advocacy, please get in touch with ADIA Director of Policy and Education, Dr Sarah Raphael at advocacy@adia.org.au

Key measures for the dental industry

There has been plenty of recent activity in the Advocacy Space. Last week during Dental Health Week, ADIA held its second Adelaide Dental Symposium and hosted a South Australian Dental Service key stakeholder, Ms Kristy Nixon. Kym De Britt, CEO provided a guided tour of the Exhibition, showcasing our members' innovative technology, that is facilitating dental treatment outside of traditional dental clinics, including mobile dental carts, scanners and 3D printers.

In other news, ADIA has been met with several other dental sector association leaders, including Nathan Clarke, the CEO of the newly-formed Oral Health Association of Australia (OHAA). OHAA has formed from the merger of Dental Hygienists Association of Australia (DHAA) and the Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapists Association (ADOHTA). In addition, ADIA participated in final workshop for the development of the next National Oral Health Plan which sets out the strategic focus for improvements in Australia’s oral health over the next decade.

ADIA has partnered with Colgate on two projects to raise the awareness of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule to eligible families. Firstly, including our ADIA CDBS Information brochures in Foodbank NSW School Breakfast Hampers (pictured) and also within G8 Early Learning Centres.

Our Director of Policy and Education, Dr Sarah Raphael and Technical Team member, Dr Joanne Challinor-Rogers participated in the Medical Technology Association of Australia, Regulatory Summit in July. To catch the regulatory information from the summit, which included global and TGA presenters, as well as news from the forthcoming TGA Regulatory and Technical Forum, join the Technical Forum at 1pm on Tuesday 2nd September. Register here

To get involved in ADIA Advocacy or share your thoughts and ideas, please contact Dr Sarah Raphael by emailingsarah.raphael@adia.org.au

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA CONSULTATION: DR AS/NZS 5369:2023 AMENDMENT

Standards Australia have a current consultation open until 22 September 2025 on amendments to:

DR AS/NZS 5369:2023 Reprocessing of reusable medical devices and other devices in health and non-health related facilities.

These amendments are centred on updates that result from the amendment of ISO 11139:2018/Amd 1:2024, 3.214.2 including impacts on sterilzation processes and process challenge devices.

To review the proposed amendment to the Standard, you are required register with Standards Australia. All comments are made online via the consultation portal.

Please follow these steps to provide your feedback.

Register and Log in

1. Visit Standards Australia
2. Hover on Committee Access - the blue heading on the top right of the menu bar.
3. Click on Public Comment where the list of open consultations will be listed.
4. Type "5369" in the Search Drafts bar.
5. If you are registered for Standards Australia - log on here. If you are not registered you can follow the prompts to register.

Providing feedback

Once you have registered and logged in:

1. Click on DR AS/NZS 5369:2023 Amd 1:2025.
2. Comments can be made throughout the sections of the document by either:

• Clicking the sections on the Table of Contents; or
• By using the Previous and Next buttons on the top right corner; or
• Comments can be made by clicking on the Add Comment button at the end of each section.
• Alternately, general comments can be made at the bottom of the "Draft Details" page.

Need help?

Additional help is available at the Help Guide to assist in navigating the Public Comment Portal.

If you require further information please email ADIA Director of Policy and Education, Dr Sarah Raphael