General News
11 December, 2024
Cairns councillors reject fluoride
CAIRNS Regional Council will not reintroduce fluoride to the region’s water supply – but it was not unanimous.
Cr Anna Middleton (Div. 7), along with Cr Trevor Tim (Div. 4) and Cr Rob Pyne (Div. 5) spoke passionately in favour of fluoride, arguing it would improve the overall health and wellbeing of residents during Wednesday’s final council meeting of the year.
But Mayor Amy Eden, deputy mayor Brett Olds and councillors Brett Moller (Div. 1), Matthew Tickner (Div.2 ), Cathy Zeiger (Div. 3) and Kristy Vallely (Div. 4) accepted an officer’s recommendation that “that (the) council notes that fluoride is not currently added to the potable public water supplies and reaffirms its current position: not to fluoridate the Cairns Regional Council water supply”. Cr Rhonda Coghlan (Div. 8) was absent.
There was thunderous applause from anti-fluoride protestors while supporters left the meeting in disgust.
At times the packed and noisy public gallery shouted over and threw insults at councillors.
Cr OIds, who moved the recommendation be endorsed, said council surveys showed there was no overwhelming support for fluoride and the council should not force it on people.
“Fluoride can get stuffed,” he said.
Cr Middleton, who gave a lengthy speech, said she wanted further investigation and more medical advice.
She said retaining the status quo was “an action of no action”.
Cr Middleton said the mayor had “blocked access’ to health professionals such as experts at Cairns and Hinterland and Hospital Service and had not sought a replacement for the state’s chief health officer who cancelled a briefing with the council after he resigned. Queensland Health had submitted the chief dental officer as his replacement, but the offer was not taken up.
She said councillors received more briefings about events such as the Ironman than an important issue such as fluoride.
Cr Middleton said there was “overwhelming evidence” that water fluoridation was a critical public health measure and not to add it to the water supply was “disadvantaging” the community.
Cr Tickner said his decision was about personal responsibility, accountability and giving residents the freedom of choice when it came to oral health.
Cr Pyne said fluoridation was one of the top tier public health interventions and had lasting benefits to the comm unity’s dental health.
He said the Far North had the worse dental outcomes Australia.
Cr Moller said if fluoridation was so important why didn’t the state government mandate it – which the new Crisafulli administration had indicated it would not be doing.
Cr Tim said fluoridation would “help close the gap” in the health of Indigenous people.
Cr Eden said her children aged 14 and 16 were born and bred in Cairns and without fluoridation their teeth were in good shape.
She said there was no overwhelming support for fluoridation by the community through the council’s latest survey.
She said she was “very comfortable’ and supported the council officer’s recommendation.
The recommendation was that “fluoride is not currently added to the potable public water supplies and reaffirms its current position: not to fluoridate the Cairns Regional Council water supply on the following grounds:
a) Oral health is, and always has been, the responsibility of the state government
b) It is evident that there is no overwhelming community support either for or against the fluoridation of the Cairns Regional Council water supply
c) It is evident there are methods, other than through the water supply, that can be used to deliver fluoride to those who are most in need of improved oral health care outcomes”.
The report said it would cost $14m to provide the infrastructure required to add fluoride to the city’s treatment plants with more than $1m in annual operational and other costs.
Debate has raged in the community for at least three months over the issue, both for and against fluoridation.
The council has received two deputations, first in support of fluoride from three GPs acting on behalf of 28 doctors – Dr Elizabeth Martin, Dr Stephen Salleras and Dr Lisa Fraser - and a second one against fluoride from former city councillor and retired nurse Annette Sheppard and anti-fluoride campaigner Zane Cosgrove.
Eight leading health and medical organisations wrote letters to Cairns Mayor Amy Eden and the council in support of fluoridation. They were the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (RACDS), The University of Queensland school of dentistry, James Cook University’s school of dentistry, the Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ), the Public Health Association Australia, The Cairns GP Group, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the National Health and Medical Research Council.
