Water fluoridation in remote Australia
An Aboriginal Land Council can fluoridate water, but a Shire Council can’t.
The Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Enterprises (GEBIE) organisation, working on behalf of the Traditional Owners on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory, has funded and ensured the operation of water fluoridation plants for the Aboriginal communities on the island, where dental decay is way too high.
The Walgett Shire Council in New South Wales has built a water fluoridation plant with funds from the State government. However the plant has been standing idle and unused, as the Council has not been able to organise someone to run the plant.
Dental decay rates in the Walgett kids are almost 7 times greater than the State averages, with many kids suffering terrible pain and infection. Government inaction is working against the health of communities yet again.