FLUORIDE: Nudgee MP Jason Woodforth wants fluoride taken out of drinking water in Queensland.PIC: Liam Kidston Source: The Courier-Mail
EDUCATION Minister John-Paul Langbroek has slapped down the LNP backbencher leading a party room push to have fluoride removed from drinking water.
Mr Langbroek yesterday suggested backbencher Jason Woodforth's time would be better spent shoring up his hold on the marginal electorate of Nudgee than publicly pushing his view that the use of fluoride was "mass medicating people" with a "brain-altering poison".
Those views were expressed in The Courier-Mail yesterday along with a claim by Mr Woodforth that he had the backing of 31 LNP MPs for a rethink on the former government's move in 2007 to add fluoride to water supplies in Queensland.
Mr Woodforth wants water supplies fluoride-free by March.
The Newman Government last week handed councils the power to decide whether fluoride was added to water.
The southeast Queensland Council of Mayors has decided that councils should conduct community consultations to gauge public opinion on whether fluoride should be withdrawn from their water supplies.
A 2007 Galaxy Poll for The Courier-Mail found 62 per cent of Queenslanders wanted fluoride while 29 per cent were opposed.
The Education Minister - a former dentist - yesterday denied the claims that more than one-third of the LNP party room wanted the fluoride rethink, and said the anti-fluoride push would not influence government policy or party-room unity.
"He (Mr Woodforth) can express his views in the party room as he obviously has but he should be focusing on his own seat - it's a marginal seat," Mr Langbroek said.
But Mr Woodforth said: "I'm working for my electorate every day. But I will always, even in my sleep, promote better health for the community."
The state's chief health officer Jeannette Young said: "Queensland Health recognises the benefits to the oral health of the community that fluoridation provides. Fluoride at the level used in Queensland to fluoridate the drinking water supply is safe."
Australian Medical Association Queensland president Alex Markwell said Mr Woodforth's comments were "irresponsible".
"This is safe and effective and has proven so throughout Australia," Dr Markwell said."It is concerning that the views of a minority are so well promoted because it does frighten people."
Should one council opt-out and other councils continue fluoridating supplies, the cost of delivering water to that area would skyrocket as it would require supplies to be de-fluoridated.
SEQWater spokesman Mike Foster said it would assess what was practical and the costs involved if and when it received council request.
A lack of dentists in areas outside of major cities will be a key factor for many regions.
Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown said while some were fiercely opposed to fluoridating town water supplies, the area also suffered from a lack of dentists and oral health problems.
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