Wednesday, 19 March 2025

Veterinary workforce

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (19:36): (1530) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Agriculture, and the action I seek is for the minister to meet with the regulation of veterinary nurses and technologists working party. The government said in 2021 they were undertaking significant work in this space and acknowledged the high suicide rate, the shortage of vets and the mental health conditions suffered from working in this sector. Yet four years later we have not seen the fruition of the government’s significant work.

Last year I raised in the chamber the need for a vet nurse practitioner model similar to the human nursing model. The response that I received from the minister exposed this very issue – that only vets are regulated under the Veterinary Practice Act 1997 and therefore the government has no oversight or governance over vet nurses and vet technologists. The regulation of veterinary nurses and technologists working party, formed under the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council and the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia, is calling for the regulation of the industry to maximise the skills and knowledge of vet nurses and technologists, address the shortages and protect the titles of these positions. We hear time and time again of the dissatisfaction of vet nurses and technologists, which leads to their resignation, due to underutilisation and lack of career progression. Every veterinary practice differs in what tasks vet nurses and technologists are performing, with some merely relegated to cleaning duties when they could be performing, for example, diagnostic tests and minor procedures in which they are trained.

Legislating the definition of vet nurses and technologists would empower vets with the confidence to delegate more of these tasks, freeing up appointments and reducing patient costs. It is an anomaly that vet nurses and technologists are not part of a regulated industry. Paramedics transitioned to regulation in 2018, which the government would be very familiar with. Western Australia already has this regulation in place, as has the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Japan and most of the United States. It was also a recommendation that came out of the New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into vet shortages just last year. By defining these titles we will be ensuring that the vital skills and knowledge of vet nurses and technologists are being fully utilised, their tasks are expanded to reflect their qualifications and, most importantly, improving job satisfaction and addressing the shortages that exist within the industry, particularly in regional areas. I kindly ask that the minister meet with the working party to learn more about how this can be achieved right here in Victoria.