New SA Veterinary Practice legislation underway

Following extensive consultation during the last couple of years, the Minister has just informed us that drafting of a new Veterinary Services Bill is now underway. This is a major milestone in reforming the way the profession is regulated in South Australia.

In the new Bill the AVA will be looking for changes to improve the operations of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of SA. There is significant concern amongst the veterinary profession about the operations of the Board. A nation-wide survey in early 2021 found that the regulation of the profession in South Australia stood out starkly with over 80% of the respondents dissatisfied with the Board – including over 60% very unsatisfied. This compared to between 4% to 14% in other jurisdictions (see the full AVA workforce survey here).

While some level of dissatisfaction with veterinary boards is to be expected, these results show that the South Australian Board is significantly out of step with the broader veterinary profession.

One of the key changes we are looking for is to bring SA in line with most other States and have a veterinarian as chair of the Board rather than a legal practitioner. The AVA acknowledges the value in having a Board member with legal expertise, however this role should not be the Chair. This is something that the AVA argued for in the Review of the legislation and in the SA State Election earlier this year.

Once the draft Bill is prepared, there will be a further consultation on the draft via the SA Government ‘YourSAy’ website. The AVA will be making a submission and will keep you updated on this so you can also make a submission if you wish.