Membership Benefits

The major benefits of individual membership are summarised below:

• Access to a regulated contract of insurance from MDA National Insurance Pty Ltd providing indemnity against legal costs incurred on your behalf, and the cost of defending and representing you in relation to events defined by the policy. This includes costs and damages which may be awarded against you, settlement out of court, and other expenses subject only to the terms and conditions of the MDA National Insurance policy. DPL is not an agent for either MDA National Insurance Pty Ltd, or its mutual parent MDA National, although it has agreed to act as a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR) in various matters relating to the MDA National Insurance product. About MDA National
  
  
• For circumstances falling outside the scope of the Act, and which do not involve the supply of a financial product, assistance and advice can be given on any problem arising from the practice of dentistry, which challenges your professional integrity or ability to practise. DPL can advise and assist with disciplinary hearings, boards of inquiry, inquests, courts martial and other kinds of investigatory mechanism. At times like these, the ability to speak confidentially with an experienced, independent dental colleague is invaluable.
  
  
• Advice and assistance is available from experienced Cases Consultants based in Australia, who also have access to the expert input from DPL's Australian Advisory Panel (spanning general and specialist practice, hospital, university, community and defence forces dentistry) and a large panel of other experienced clinical experts based throughout Australia. All this is backed up by the biggest and most experienced team of specialist dento-legal advisers in the world. DPL has a dedicated team of seven senior advisers with first hand experience of Australian cases, including the Dental Director, the Assistant Director, the Senior Claims Consultant and the Senior Cases Consultant. Their combined hands-on experience of Australian cases totals almost 80 years.

Meet the Case Consultants and the Advisory Panel of DPL Australia
Find out more about these key members of the Team for Austrlia by selecting a name from the dropdown menu on the page which opens.

• Assistance and advice on problems relating to the practice of dentistry, including advice on law and ethics and the management of potentially difficult situations. DPL uses several specialist firms of solicitors working across each state and territory of Australia, some of whom have worked with DPL continuously for twenty or thirty years. Meet the Lawyers.
  
  
• Assistance and advice in connection with practice promotion and marketing material (including website content and advertisements) to ensure compliance with Trade Practices Act, Dental Board requirements, advertising standards and other legislation.
  
  
• Assistance and advice in connection with media enquiries and potential adverse publicity, to protect the interests and reputation of members and their practices.
  
  
• In general, DPL will not initiate proceedings on behalf of one member against another member. However, DPL can offer assistance with alternative dispute resolution (conciliation, mediation and arbitration), with the aim of settling disputes and difficulties between a DPL member and others.
  
  
• DPL and the Medical Protection Society can in appropriate circumstances take steps to initiate and support improvements and decisions in the law which are conducive to any of the organisation's objectives as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association