By Kat Wong in Canberra

Dentist appointments could be covered by Medicare after the Greens announced they would push for the measure in a minority government.

Polls indicate Labor may lose votes at the upcoming federal election, pushing them into minority government and giving more power to the cross bench.

The last time this happened in 2010, the Greens pushed to put children’s dental services under Medicare, allowing more than three million children to access free care.

And now, party leader Adam Bandt wants to expand this to all Australians.

“As anyone who’s ever had a toothache knows, dental care isn’t optional,” he told the National Press Club on Wednesday.

“It’s critical that we expand Medicare so it covers everything, for everyone.”

The Greens have called on the government to take charge on this for years, and Wednesday’s announcement was the first time it was launched as part of the party’s election platform.

According to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, between 2017 and 2018, almost four in 10 people over the age of 15 had avoided or delayed seeing the dentist because of the cost.

Poor oral health can have a significant impact on Australians, with one in five adults avoiding certain foods due to dental issues and one third feeling uncomfortable with their appearance due to their teeth, the National Oral Health Plan revealed.

The Greens’ plan is estimated to cost about $45.6 billion and to fund this, Mr Bandt has proposed increasing taxes on corporations as part of his “Robin Hood” reforms.

The Greens took the same taxation approach to the last election but this time around, it has updated its costings and identified new companies to target.

One part of the package, which would raise $296 billion across a decade, involves imposing a 40 per cent tax on corporations’ excess profits.

Another pillar, applying to offshore gas and oil companies, would raise $111 billion by amending the petroleum resource rent tax and forcing them to pay royalties.

The final part would impose a 40 per cent tax on the “super profits” of mining projects.

“We will push hard to address the cost-of-living crisis and make the big corporations pay their fair share of tax so that people stop suffering,” Mr Bandt said.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said the Greens’ proposal will not form part of the government’s tax policy, claiming it was “designed to get attention”.

“Our job is a bit different, which is to make the budget add up in a methodical and responsible way,” he told Sky News.

Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black has called the taxes “economic vandalism” and warned it would push companies away from Australia.

A federal election must be held by May.