New AVA White Paper: A Roadmap for a Sustainable Veterinary Workforce

This week, the AVA is proud to release a major white paper: Destination Thriving: A Roadmap for the Australian Veterinary Workforce, laying out the critical reforms needed to secure the future of veterinary services across Australia. 

Veterinary services are essential to our national economy, animal welfare standards, and public health, but the profession is under serious pressure. Now in its eighth consecutive year of workforce shortage, the veterinary profession is experiencing unsustainable strain, particularly in regional and rural areas where services are already stretched thin. 

This white paper draws together years of evidence, research and AVA advocacy to provide a clear assessment of the challenges facing the profession and the steps needed to build its sustainability. 

Why this matters 

Veterinarians are expected to deliver both private services to individual animal owners and public-good services that support biosecurity, food security, wildlife care, and community wellbeing. Yet most of these public benefits are delivered through a private business model that was never designed, or resourced, to service this.  

This misalignment has created a vulnerable system, leading to burnout, high attrition, and workforce shortages.  

The white paper identifies 2 primary causes of the current situation: 

• A business model that cannot sustain public-good service delivery without government investment; and 

• Generational and societal shifts in workforce expectations and community demand for veterinary care. 

Key findings and recommendations 

The white paper offers a comprehensive roadmap to increase veterinary workforce capacity and resilience. Key themes include: 

• Recognising the public value of veterinary services: Veterinarians provide critical public-good services such as emergency response, disease surveillance, and wildlife care. These must be resourced accordingly through government investment. 

• Reforming regulation to reflect the essential role of the veterinary team: The paper advocates for legislative change to recognise veterinary services as essential, expand the scope of regulated veterinary team members (including nurses and technologists), and ensure consistent, enforceable standards. 

• Supporting rural and regional workforce needs: A multi-faceted approach is required, including student debt relief, business support, infrastructure investment, and innovation in after-hours care models. 

• Improving conditions within the profession: Recommendations include better mental health support, career pathways, flexible work conditions, and integrated wellness programs like AVA’s THRIVE initiative. 

• Investing in workforce data collection and planning: Nationally harmonised data is needed to support evidence-based policy, modelling, and long-term planning. 

What’s next 

The AVA will use this white paper to help guide its advocacy with government and industry partners at all levels. AVA's immediate priorities include securing funding commitments, supporting data initiatives through the OCVO veterinary vorkforce taskforce, and progressing regulatory reform across jurisdictions. 

We encourage all members to read the white paper, share its findings with your networks, and be part of the movement to secure a thriving veterinary future. 

Read the full white paper here.