AVA Member Consultation – Inquiry into wildlife roadstrike in Victoria

29 Apr 2025

The Victorian Legislative Council Economic and Infrastructure Committee is currently conducting an Inquiry into wildlife roadstrike in Victoria.

The Australian Veterinary We are seeking input from AVA Members to inform the AVA’s submission and advocacy on this issue, particularly the terms of reference 1, 2, & 7.

Inquiry Terms of Reference:

(1) The scope, application, and enforcement of relevant legislation and regulatory frameworks, and their ability to monitor wildlife road strike, promote driver education and raise public awareness;

(2) The involvement, training and expenditure of paid and volunteer rescue and rehabilitative organisations and individuals in attending to, and managing, road strike incidents;

(3) New and emerging technologies and infrastructure used to prevent road strikes;

(4) The impact of road strike on Victorian motorists, including major trauma incidents and motor vehicle damage;

(5) The impact of development and infrastructure on incidents of wildlife road strike;

(6) International best practice standards to decrease wildlife road strike;

(7) Current methods of collating data on wildlife road strike and its effectiveness; and

(8) Any other related matters.

Key points for consideration, include:

  • The legislative obligations placed on veterinarians to assess and treat injured wildlife.
  • The impacts and associated costs for veterinarians and veterinary practices when treating injured wildlife (receiving, treating, euthanasia, disposal, etc) (noting the provision of public good).
  • Data collection and reporting on wildlife roadstrike incidents, and the services provided by veterinarians.
  • Animal welfare considerations, including opportunities to enhance outcomes for injured wildlife.

AVA Information:

How to Get Involved: 

To ensure your contributions are incorporated into the AVA submission, please provide your feedback to AVA Senior Advocacy Officer, Liz Gemes, at Liz.Gemes@ava.com.au by 18 May 2025. This will allow us sufficient time to collate responses and develop a comprehensive submission on behalf of AVA members.

A collective AVA submission carries weight, but individual submissions from veterinarians further reinforce our key messages and demonstrate widespread industry support. To maximise impact, we encourage members to contribute to AVA representations and provide individual feedback. Engaging in both strengthens the profession’s influence. You can make your own individual submission by the 30 May 2025 here.