Consultation for Draft SA vet services legislation released for feedback

Following extensive consultation with the profession, the SA Government has released a draft Veterinary Services Bill for public consultation.

The AVA has been participating in the review of the Act over the past couple of years. Key elements in the draft Bill include:

• Changing the role of the presiding member to require this be filled by a veterinarian
• Adjusting the membership of the Board
• Supporting effective Board functioning through expanded functions including requirements for improved communication and transparency
• Enabling increased flexibility of registration and the registration of veterinary premises
• Removing unnecessary offence provisions and administrative burden (including the removal of the requirement for veterinarians to notify the Board of claims made against them by clients).

The AVA believes that these changes will go a long way to improving the operations of the Board in South Australia.

The AVA is currently reviewing the draft Bill in detail and will be preparing a formal submission. We invite members to share their thoughts with us to assist in this process.

How you can get involved:

• Send your feedback directly to PIRSA through the SA Your Say website by 19th February 2023
• Send your feedback to assist with the formal AVA submission to graham.pratt@ava.com.au by 20th January 2023.