President's message from Dr Gemma Chuck - August 2025
04 Sep 2025August has been another whirlwind month full of planning, preparation, reviewing and of course advocating for our wonderful profession. Whilst this role brings many challenges, it is genuinely fulfilling and worth all the effort because I truly believe in our professional association and the future of all veterinarians. And who doesn’t like a challenge?
Government Engagement
Dr Gemma Chuck, Minister Julie Collins, Melissa King
At the end of August, I travelled to Canberra, alongside our Chief Executive Melissa King and National Manager for Advocacy, Graham Pratt. We met with Ministers, Senators, Members of Parliament, advisors and key industry partners, to discuss our priorities and the need for urgent funding. Coinciding with National Biosecurity Week, the essential nature of veterinarians was well and truly in the spotlight, and I am thankful for the generosity and time shared by those we engaged with.
We presented our Priorities for a Sustainable Veterinary Profession, highlighting the areas where immediate investment and long-term support are essential.
Our message was clear: The work of veterinarians impacts every single Australian. We are Australia’s frontline for biosecurity, food security and public health. We ensure animal health and wellbeing for our pets, production animals, Australia’s unique wildlife and the public. We cannot have a conversation about biosecurity without having a conversation about vets. And to enable us to continue providing these essential services, we must have greater recognition and support through designated funding for workforce sustainability, protection of mental health, and measures to futureproof the profession.
Areas we covered include:
- Workforce pressures: We raised the chronic workforce shortages across the veterinary profession and emphasised the need for veterinary students to be included in the Commonwealth Prac Payment scheme.
- Rural incentives: We highlighted the importance of extending access to the HECS-HELP rural bonding scheme to veterinarians as part of its current review.
- Wellbeing initiatives: We showcased the success of AVA’s THRIVE mental health program, and the rollout of our Cultivating Safe Teams AWARE program into practices, government agencies, and universities alike.
There is genuine interest from policymakers, and while there is much more to do, these conversations bring me real optimism about future progress. The veterinary profession is truly amazing and I am so incredibly proud to represent the AVA in this arena.
Your feedback on AVA's Priorities for a Sustainable Veterinary Profession is very welcome: publicvetaffairs@ava.com.au
AVA Constitution Reform
The last 12 months has involved the most engaged member consultation process in the history of the AVA. Thank you to all our members who shared feedback on the Stage 3 Constitution Reform before 31 July. Across the townhalls, emails and formal submissions we received many thoughtful questions and comments. The Constitution Reform Working Group (CRWG) and the AVA Board have carefully considered all of this feedback and it has directly shaped the next stage of work.
You can read more about the latest update from the CRWG and next steps here.
Your questions, feedback and ideas have been fundamental to this process. Thank you for your ongoing involvement. I am confident that together we can build a Constitution that supports the veterinary profession now and into the future.
Celebrating our Special Interest Groups
One of the true strengths of our association is the vitality and expertise of our Special Interest Groups (SIGs).
Before my trip to Canberra I was fortunate to join the 50th ASAV Annual Conference in my local city of Cairns for a few days.
Day 2 of the 50th ASAV Annual Conference
The event brought together the Australian Small Animal Veterinarians (ASAV), the Australian Veterinary Dental Society (AVDS), the Australian Veterinary Conservation Biology group (AVCB) and the Unusual Pet and Avian Veterinarians (UPAV).
This event was a great example of how valuable being part of a Special Interest Group can be. SIGs are not just about professional development. They are about belonging to a community of like-minded people who ‘get it’. SIGs give you the chance to share ideas, learn from colleagues, celebrate the wins and feel supported by others facing the same challenges. They open doors to mentoring, leadership, and advocacy on the issues that matter most in your area of practice. Most of all, SIGs are where friendships are formed, careers are strengthened, and opportunities you might never expect become possible.
We also saw this connection and camaraderie at the 45th Bain Fallon Memorial Lectures in late July. With almost 500 attendees, the atmosphere was electric, and the energy, learning and collegiality was palpable. Congratulations to everyone involved in making it such a success.
45th Bain Fallon Memorial Lectures
Modernising AVA’s digital infrastructure
One of our strategic goals is to empower connectivity. As part of this commitment, the AVA is trialling the AVA Hub (powered by Circle), a new online space that enables real-time connection, peer support and knowledge sharing between members. This platform has been developed in response to member feedback, with the aim of improving your AVA experience to help you feel supported and connected across the profession.
The first stage of the trial involves several SIGs who have volunteered to help us test the platform, fine-tune its features and identify what support is needed before a wider rollout. Their feedback will play an important role in shaping how the AVA Hub can best serve all members in the future. Whilst we know some SIGs use other communication platforms, this trial is aimed at exploring options that all members, SIGs and groups might use in the future.
This is just the beginning of our work to modernise AVA’s digital infrastructure – we look forward to your engagement and feedback along the way.
A final note…
The famous quote of Lydgate and Lincoln has never been more true: “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”. And in my dear mum’s words, “nor should we try”.
We are one AVA with many tribes. We need to remember that the AVA represents a very diverse group of members, opinions and expectations. Whilst we welcome and consider all feedback, the unfortunate reality is that not all feedback can be actioned.
I thank all our volunteers and members for the time they invest in the AVA. This association is nothing without you.
Dr Gemma Chuck
AVA President