President’s message from Dr Diana Barker – February 2024

This week the AVA says farewell and thank you to David Andrews who finished as CEO on Friday. We have appreciated David’s guidance over the last few years in developing our Strategic Plan, helping progress the update of the AVA Constitution, refining our staff structure to better support members and increase the visibility of the profession, especially amongst politicians. We are currently well progressed in the recruitment of a new CEO, and I hope to be able to make an announcement soon.

An area of focus for the board has been ensuring a safe and productive work environment for AVA staff. We know that a safe work environment is important for veterinary practices, which is why a key focus of our THRIVE initiative is Cultivating Safe Teams. The AVA staff should expect nothing less. While the majority of our members do have respectful and satisfactory interactions with staff, it has been observed that this is not always true. In the same way we expect the public to treat us and our clinic staff well, we expect the same at the AVA. With this in mind, we are undertaking a progressive review of policies to include members or volunteers where appropriate.

The first of these is our Work Health and Safety policy, which now applies to members. The AVA management and board will uphold this policy as necessary. Over 2024 we have many ways that members can interact with the AVA. This may be at one of our many face-to-face meetings, in particular our Annual Conference in Melbourne. This year will see a slightly shorter conference with a new format which we hope appeals to members. There will also be many opportunities to join a webinar or undertake some of our online professional development courses.

The AVA Constitution reform project will continue with multiple opportunities for members to have your say. So please keep reading our regular newsletters or visit our website for all the latest information and opportunities to be a part of your AVA.

Wishing you all a year filled with inspiration, achievement and moments of joy.