The Australian Greens would use a stronger voice in federal parliament to push for increased funding for dental health, including a universal 'denticare' scheme.

A national Galaxy poll of over 1000 people shows that 82% of Australians would support the federal government establishing a universal dental-care scheme.

Prime Minister Gillard should use her visit to Tasmania today to commit to increasing funding for mental and dental care as well as emergency care, the Australian Greens said today.

"So many Tasmanians, particularly in the North and North West, desperately need dental and mental health care, but the Gillard government is leaving these people behind," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

"Over ten thousand Tasmanians are on waiting lists for general dental care. This is completely unacceptable, causing untold health problems as well as pain and discomfort.

The Australian Greens have called for a levy on junk food and alcohol advertising similar to the levy which has applied in France since 2004.

Launching the policy with Victorian Greens Senate candidate, Dr Richard di Natale in Melbourne today, Greens leader Bob Brown said the advertisers could choose the option of including health information in their advertising or pay the levy.

"This type of levy has been working in France since 2004. Australia should not allow junk food and alcohol companies to make billions at the expense of the health and well being of Australians," Senator Brown said.

"The alcohol industry spends $109 million on advertising per year while fast food companies are among the top 50 advertisers in Australia, spending around $165 million on advertising per year."

"At the same time the costs to individuals and the community as a result of consumption, in terms of health effects, social costs and lost productivity, of these products is enormous. Alcohol use in Australia costs $15.3 billion and obesity costs are estimated to be around $58.2 billion," Dr Di Natale said.

The levy could potentially raise around $4 million in revenue for A Health Promotion Advertising Fund, under the National Preventive Health Agency. It would be used to provide health information to consumers through social marketing campaigns," said Dr Di Natale.

The Greens will introduce legislation to:

• Introduce a requirement to include health information on alcohol and junk food advertising (the standards and nature of the health information to be determined by a National Preventive Health Agency);
• Provide advertisers with an option to pay a 1.5% levy on alcohol and junk food advertising rather than include the information themselves;
• Create a Health Promotion Advertising Fund to allocate the funds for health information and to replace alcohol or junk food sponsorship in community sports clubs.

The Australian Greens are calling on the Federal Government to immediately ban Bisphenol A (BPA) for use in all baby products as our food regulators can not guarantee the safety of such products.

"The Government is potentially exposing Australian babies to unnecessary harm by leaving products containing BPA on supermarket shelves," said Australian Greens Health spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert.

"Australia's food regulator, FSANZ, should be taking this issue much more seriously.

"There is a growing body of evidence that the chemical BPA used in plastics, including food packaging, is harmful to humans even in minute quantities and is unsuitable for use in baby bottles or other products.

"Children's products containing BPA have already been banned in Denmark, Canada and a number of states in the US.

"The voluntary phase out the Government announced last week is not enough.

"The Greens questioned FSANZ on the safety of BPA earlier this year, but reports today indicate they may have been concealing information from the Senate.

"What tests has FSANZ done? These should be released immediately along with all evidence it has on BPA.

"In May the Senate supported a Greens motion calling on the Government to reassess the public health risk of BPA to all Australian consumers.

"The Government should outline immediately what action has been taken to reassess the health risk this dangerous chemical presents to our community."