Productivity Commission – National Agreement on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (Interim Report)

The AVA’s submission responds to the Productivity Commission’s interim review of the National Agreement on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.

We highlighted the urgent need for the Agreement to deliver practical, coordinated action that addresses the mental health crisis within the veterinary profession, alongside the needs of other at-risk groups. Our key points included:

• Recognising veterinarians as a priority workforce due to their high suicide risk and unique workplace stressors.
• Calling for targeted mental health programs for veterinarians, co-designed with the profession, and backed by sustainable funding.
• Urging better data collection and monitoring to track mental health outcomes in smaller, high-risk workforces.
• Emphasising cross-sector collaboration, including health, education, and workplace regulators, to address the social determinants of mental health.
• Supporting prevention and early intervention approaches that reduce stigma and make support more accessible.

The submission stressed that meaningful change will require governments to move beyond high-level commitments to concrete, measurable actions that improve mental health outcomes for all Australians, including veterinarians.

You can read the full submission here.