AVA Federal Government Pre-Budget Submission (May 2023 Budget)

Australia’s veterinary professionals deliver an essential service in our rural and regional communities on commercial farms, in our metropolitan communities caring for our domestic pets and in areas of community need such as wildlife, stray and feral animals.

Vets are particularly vital for the agriculture sector which contributed $71 billion to the Australian economy in 2020 to 2021. This includes detecting and managing biosecurity threats, which are increasing in frequency.

Vets are highly valued and trusted by the communities they serve. However there is a critical shortage of veterinarians in Australia. This shortage is significantly more acute in rural and regional areas. Regional practices have in recent years been closing clinics because of a lack of veterinary staff.

Lack of adequate supply of veterinarians has direct negative flow-on effects to biosecurity, animal health and welfare, and human health. The sustainability of veterinary service provision is under threat from decades of labour underinvestment. This, coupled with the cost of delivery of 21st century veterinary care, means the situation in regional areas is increasingly untenable.

If Australian communities are to enjoy the benefits of modern standards of animal health and welfare and minimal animal-human disease transfer, investment in the veterinary profession is needed to ensure that these services can be sustainably provided.

Recommendations

1. Attract more veterinarians to regional communities:
Introduce a Rural Bonding Scheme (HECS Forgiveness Scheme) for graduate veterinarians. The AVA estimates that this would cost $19.23 million over four years ($4.80 million per annum) and would wipe the HECS debt of 80 new graduates per year, boosting the veterinary workforce in these critically important regions.

2. Prioritise veterinary workforce sustainability
Invest in better data collection, analysis and workforce planning to ensure that future veterinary demand is matched by supply in a way that provides sufficient veterinarians, whilst realising the return on investment from veterinary training. Australia’s veterinary workforce capacity should be regularly audited against the present and future risks to Australia’s animal industries, and any deficits addressed.

3. Formalise the role of veterinarians in biosecurity policy through funding models:
The Australian government committing to perpetually funding the biosecurity system through a long-term sustainable, reviewable funding arrangement for biosecurity, including increasing specific investment in veterinary services, particularly rural and regional. Increased national investment and streamlining of funding mechanisms for onshore disease surveillance and associated diagnostic capabilities for private veterinarians and increased capacity within government veterinary services is requested.

4. Veterinary professionals – at greater risk of poor mental health
Sectoral support of the veterinary profession ($3 million over four years) to establish a national veterinary profession-led approach to improve veterinarian wellbeing and improve career satisfaction and sustainability via veterinary-focused mental health education campaigns, whole career mentoring/support and an accessible 24/7 veterinary friendly counselling service.

To read the full submission, please click here.