Advocacy update - January 2022

 

Your Profession, Your Voice – Advocacy Update  January 2022 

Hello colleagues, 

Well, 2022 hasn’t quite started the way we all hoped it would. The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is certainly complicating things. We hope that you are able to manage the challenges that are being presented and looking out for your own well-being, I know, easier said than done at the moment.  

 

Advocacy Update for December/ January  

Key activities  

Workforce sustainability and wellbeing 

• COVID-19 – We know it has been very difficult start to 2022. We continue to work hard on your behalf advocating for you to government as well as communicating to the community about the challenges the profession is facing. The latest updates can be found on the COVID-19 Info Hub.  

Thank you for your contribution to the COVID 19 survey. Results can be found  here. The take-home points are:  

• All states are  experiencing staff shortages due to COVID. The  states  with high penetration of Omicron are most affected  with  around 80-85% of survey practices saying they are  impacted.  
• In the  states with high Omicron numbers  10-15% of staff are  quarantining  due to  being infected with COVID, and a further 20-26% are  quarantining  due to being close contacts.  
• In the states with high Omicron numbers only  10 -20%  of respondents  don’t think animal welfare is being impacted. 

This information and media has been vital to helping governments understand how the profession is highly impacted and public health orders have been modified to reflect this in Victoria, NSW, NT and SA. 

• The Australian Veterinary Association is the newest signatory in support of the RCVS – AVMA Mind Matters International statement on Mental Health and Wellbeing, to support mental health and wellbeing across the global veterinary community. The AVA is committed to working together with other like-minded organisations who are prepared to make a real difference to veterinary mental health through: 
• Advocacy  – promoting the benefits of positive mental health 
• Research  – sharing resources and results 
• Sharing of best practice  – we are all facing similar issues that can be better resolved as a united voice.  
• The 6th AVA workforce survey results were released in December 2021. Two documents have been produced. The first is the analysis report of the survey data. The second document is a more detailed interrogation of the remuneration data which provides greater detail around remuneration at differing career stages and roles. 

These documents are added to the suite of evidence that we use to advocate on behalf of members. 

• In December 2021  the AVA in collaboration with partnership organisations, the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC), Greencross, Apiam Animal Health and VetPartners submitted a grant to the National Career Institute Partnership Grants Program to develop a holistic framework to career competency by describing an individual's skills, attitudes, and attributes based on knowledge and experience to enable individuals to practise in their preferred role at the level they are prepared for. The outcome will be a competency framework which will assist veterinarians to plan and action career pathways towards senior leadership and facilitate re-entry after a career break.   

We will update you when we know the outcome. 

 

Value of the Profession 

• In late December 2021 the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA)   proposed amendments to the Poisons Standard, for discussion in March 2022.   There are two amendments that are relevant to the veterinary profession:  meloxicam  and  lidocaine.  

Please go to our  get involved page  and have your say by January the 31st on the  proposed rescheduling of medications – meloxicam and lidocaine.  

The meloxicam amendment is to reschedule oral transmucosal meloxicam to S6. The AVA does not support this. The lidocaine amendment is to remove the recent inclusion of specific injectable lidocaine  formulations from Schedule 5, which the AVA does support. 

You can read the AVA submissions to the TGA on these proposals: 

1. Lidocaine 
2. Transmucosal Meloxicam 

 

• The government made a call for submissions for the 2022/23 federal budget. The AVA put in a submission  and it can be read here.  

• We are pleased to announce the  Antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for dairy cattle  are now  available.  This is a joint project funded by AVA and Animal Medicines Australia, with additional support from Dairy Australia.  

We are immensely grateful to the expert panel of veterinarians who have provided their significant expertise to ensure this is a world-class document, which will greatly assist in the global fight against AMR, and  safeguard the profession's ongoing access to antimicrobials.  More information can be found here.   

As a reminder of the importance of sustained continued vigilance around AMR,  this recent systematic analysis published in The Lancet this month estimated globally there were 4·95 million (3·62–6·57) deaths associated with bacterial AMR in 2019.  

 

• The following policies were ratified by the AVA Board in December and a number of policies have gone  out for member comment.   

1. Brachycephalic dog breeding (new) 
2. Heat Stress in the horse (new) 
3. Safeguarding and improving the mental health of the veterinary team (new) 

• The following policies were drafted by members of Policy Advisory Council (PAC), and voted at their December Decision Point to progress to AVA member comment: 

1. Disbudding of goat kids (new) 
2. Desexing (surgical sterilisation) of dogs and cats (update)  
3. Medication of dogs and cats for air transport (new)  
4. Vulnerable clients in veterinary practice - animal welfare and human wellbeing (new) 
5. Use of behaviour modifying collars on dogs (update) 

We welcome all suggestions by AVA members. Please  post your comments in the forum. Comments close on the 11th February (4 weeks). 

• The Thoroughbred Aftercare Welfare Working Group report was recently released. The EVA made a detailed submission to the working group around this important issue. The EVA and AVA welcome inclusion in the proposed Thoroughbred Welfare Australia (TWA) initiative and looks forward to working with industry participants to ensure that key proposals in the report are implemented.  Media release can be found here. 

• The AVA made a submission to inform the National Strategy for Radiation Safety after release of the draft in October 2021. The national strategy aims to develop a consistent approach to radiation protection across Australia. This is in line with our advocacy position of regulatory harmonisation.  

 

Key activities (Division): 

Victoria  

• The Victorian Division continues to support University of Melbourne veterinary students through the presentation of scrub tops for use on DVM 3 embarking on clinical rotations, AVA awards for DVM 4 graduating students (Victorian Division prize, AVA student Award, ASAV award for clinical proficiency) and the Practitioner in Residence program. 
• Bushfire preparedness has been occurring in readiness for AVA veterinarians to assist in emergency response where appropriate. 
• Consideration to the handling of cytotoxic drugs in Victoria. 
• Organisation of the Climate Change stream of the AVA Centenary Conference, with the Plenary delivered by Laureate Professor Peter Doherty. 

TASMANIA 

• Tasmanian Division were fortunate to hold the Centenary Conference face to face in November with the proceeds from the Divisional raffle generously benefiting the AVA Benevolent fund. 
• There has been divisional involvement in the management of cats in Tasmania. 

NSW 

• NSW Commenced a review of the Veterinary Practice legislation with the Division meeting with the Department to discuss feedback on the operations of the Act. 
• The Division made a submission on the proposed cat and dog breeder licensing arrangements and preparing a submission to the State Parliamentary Committee reviewing this issue. 
• The Division is currently preparing a submission to the State Parliamentary inquiry into Animal Welfare Policy in NSW (including the new proposed animal welfare legislation). 

NT 

• The Division is currently considering the recent appointment of a lawyer as chair of the NT Vet Board. This is over concern to a number of members (particularly given the experience in South Australia). The Division is working on what advocacy approach is best to take on this issue. 

SA  

• The Division is currently preparing a State Election Platform ahead of the upcoming March Election in South Australia 
• The AVA has provided a veterinary representative to the government led steering committee on Antimicrobial Stewardship. 

WA 

• The WA Veterinary Act was passed by Parliament late last year. The Department are currently developing the regulations that will sit under the Act. The Division is expecting to be consulted on these during February. 
• The Division is discussing hospital standards and the process for review and implementation of new standards with the VSBWA. 

 

Public Affairs Update 

During December and January  the AVA participated in a wide range of external stakeholder meetings, covering a wide range of issues from animal welfare, regulatory issues, workforce sustainability , and COVID-19.

During December and January , the AVA issued 3 media releases.  

We hope you are all staying safe in these challenging times and welcome any feedback you have around our updates, please email publicvetaffairs@ava.com.au 

 

Best Wishes 

Cristy, Graham and Melanie on behalf of the Veterinary and Public Affairs team