OPINION | Bush Telegraph — 26 October 2026

Coober Pedy residents have written. They have explained the distances, the costs and the difficulties facing elderly residents, people with disability and families who cannot afford to leave town for dental treatment.

They have received acknowledgements, expressions of concern and a referral from one government office to another.

What they still do not have is a date for local dental treatment to resume—or an answer explaining how they are supposed to manage until it does.

For the Malinauskas Labor Government, this is correspondence awaiting attention. For residents needing treatment, it is their daily reality.

The community has made itself clear

On 13 October, residents began sending a community letter to SA Dental about the loss of accessible dental services in Coober Pedy. According to the community letter webpage, at least 14 locals sent that initial letter.

SA Dental replied on Wednesday, 14 October. Several residents reported receiving the same response.

A standard reply is not necessarily a problem if it contains meaningful answers. This one acknowledged the issue and said SA Dental was actively exploring options for future service delivery. It also expressed a preference for finding a provider who could treat everyone, regardless of eligibility for public dental care.

Those are welcome commitments. But there was no timeframe, no confirmed interim local service and no practical explanation of how residents unable to travel would receive treatment.

Eligible public patients were directed towards enquiries and urgent-case triage through Port Augusta and Whyalla. Those ineligible for public care were advised to contact the Australian Dental Association for details of private dentists in the area.

Residents do not need help locating a dentist on a directory. They need help accessing one.

Port Augusta is more than 500 kilometres away. Roxby Downs is more than 450 kilometres away. These are journeys of approximately 900 to more than 1,000 kilometres return.

Add fuel, accommodation, meals, time away from work and possibly an accompanying carer or family member. Then add the treatment bill. If further appointments are required, the burden begins again.

For some households, that is unaffordable. For some elderly residents and people living with disability, it is practically unmanageable.

Describing a distant dentist as an available option does not make that dentist accessible.

Escalated—and still waiting

Following SA Dental’s response, at least five residents sent the follow-up letter, according to the community webpage. It sought practical answers and copied in state MP Geoff Brock, federal Member for Grey Tom Venning and Premier Peter Malinauskas.

The Premier’s office acknowledged the correspondence and advised that it had been forwarded to Health and Wellbeing Minister Blair Boyer’s office for consideration. The community email was subsequently adjusted to include the minister directly.

Referring correspondence to the responsible minister is an understandable administrative step. But it is a step within government, not a remedy for the community.

As of 26 October, the Bush Telegraph had received no response from the minister’s office and no further response from SA Dental to the follow-up email sent on 14 October.

Twelve days after that escalation, residents are still waiting for answers to straightforward questions about interim treatment, travel assistance and a timeframe for restoring local access.

Nobody reasonably expects a permanent replacement dentist to materialise overnight. It is entirely reasonable, however, to expect the responsible minister to acknowledge the community’s circumstances and explain what is being done.

Concern must lead to action

Tom Venning responded sympathetically, recognising that travelling more than 500 kilometres for treatment was unrealistic for many residents. He identified the financial and practical barriers and said he would continue advocating for better regional health services.

That recognition is welcome. What remains unclear is what specific advocacy has followed.

That does not establish that Mr Venning has done nothing. It means the community has not yet been told what action has been taken or what response it has produced. Residents deserve that follow-through.

Geoff Brock’s office acknowledged the email on 14 October. On Wednesday, 21 October, Mr Brock personally rang the Bush Telegraph, expressing concern about dental access in Coober Pedy and other remote communities in his electorate. He requested SA Dental’s original response, which was forwarded to him.

That direct engagement deserves acknowledgement. It also demonstrates that representatives can pick up the phone, seek information and engage with the problem while longer-term solutions are pursued.

The same urgency should be evident from the government responsible for the service response.

Minister Boyer, where is the plan?

SA Dental’s original letter confirmed that Dr Leonard Hegedus had delivered services using its dental van and treated residents regardless of public eligibility.

It also recognised the importance of continuing that broad access.

The government therefore understands both what has been lost and what needs replacing. The unanswered question is what happens now.

Can a visiting dentist provide an interim service? Can the dental van be used? What barriers must be overcome? What assistance exists for people who must travel? When will residents receive a progress update?

If arrangements are being pursued, explain them. If there are obstacles, identify them. If another agency must assist, coordinate that assistance.

“Actively exploring options” needs to be followed by an account of progress, responsibility and expected timeframes.

Coober Pedy residents are asking for reasonable access to an essential service. They should not have to repeatedly explain why a thousand-kilometre round trip is beyond their means.

The Malinauskas Government should be embarrassed that residents have had to organise a letter campaign simply to seek a workable pathway to dental care—and that the responsible minister has yet to respond to this escalation.

Minister Boyer, the community has explained the problem. Your own dental service has acknowledged it.

Now tell Coober Pedy what you are going to do, what residents can access in the meantime, and when they can expect action.

Dental pain does not wait for government correspondence. Neither should the response.