Wednesday, 12 August 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (11:02): I move:

That this house notes that:

(1)   veterinarians play an essential role in public health, animal welfare, biosecurity, agriculture, and community wellbeing;

(2)   the veterinary industry is currently facing significant workforce pressures, mental health risks and financial vulnerabilities;

(3)   the veterinary industry is hamstrung by a slow and burdensome paper-prescribing requirement, resulting in significant time being dedicated to paperwork at the expense of patient care;

(4)   this is a contributing factor to vet stress and burnout and results in significant barriers to accessibility, cost and animal welfare;

(5)   electronic scripting would significantly reduce administrative workload for veterinary clinics, ease workforce pressures, and position Victoria as a national leader in animal health technology;

(6)   allowing pet owners and farmers to have prescriptions dispensed by a pharmacy of their choice would reduce medication costs and align the veterinary sector with doctors, dentists, optometrists, midwives and nurse practitioners;

(7)   this simple but meaningful change would provide cost-of-living relief, relieve vet pressures, improve animal welfare and improve access for regional Victorians, who often have to travel long distances to a clinic;

(8)   work is underway by agriculture departments and ministers across Australia to enhance biosecurity and animal health through the introduction of e-prescribing;

and calls on the government to investigate all options to enable these reforms, including via gazettal or other methods.

This is a really simple motion that calls on the government to make a simple yet meaningful change that will make life easier for so many Victorian pet owners – whether they be in the city or in the country, but it is particularly for regional Victorians – and the animals that they love. This will also transform the entire veterinary sector for the better.

To begin this motion, I want to talk about the state of the veterinary sector, because it is a really, really important part of this conversation. The vet sector is in need of urgent reform, because right now it is in crisis. It is a crisis that the Animal Justice Party has been warning of this term and last term, and it has only continued to worsen in a cost-of-living crisis and animal welfare crisis. The result of that has been really poor outcomes for the people who care for our animals as well.

I want to reference a South Australian joint committee on the mental health and wellbeing of veterinarians that did an absolutely brilliant inquiry and handed down a final report with a number of really strong recommendations that would improve and reform our veterinary sector. This inquiry was sparked by the death of Sophie Putland, who died by suicide in 2021 while working as a vet in Melbourne. She was just 33 years old. She loved all animals, and for the most part she loved being a vet, but the pressure of the veterinary profession became too overwhelming for her.

This is a really tragic story. It is one that has received a lot of attention and has resulted in the push for reform in many states across the country, but it is actually not a rare story. In fact on average one vet dies by suicide approximately every 12 weeks in our country. Over the last 30 years the rate of suicide in this profession has increased, with research confirming that vets are four times more likely to die by suicide than the rest of the general population and two times more likely than any other healthcare professional. Those numbers are obviously shattering and demand urgent national attention, and they certainly demand attention here in Victoria, where we are seeing our veterinary sector struggle even more day by day. Sophie’s parents Garry and Kate started an organisation called Sophie’s Legacy in her honour, and they were a driving force in getting the South Australian government to establish this parliamentary inquiry into the mental health and wellbeing of veterinarians, which commenced in November 2024.

While this inquiry was about the South Australian sector, it was actually really reflective of the situation across the nation. This inquiry had many findings, including that veterinarian mental health is a systemic workforce problem, which includes high workload, financial pressure, workforce shortages and really difficult workplace conditions. Excessive working hours and after-hours work are major pressures on the vet sector, leading to fatigue, burnout and no work–life balance. Workforce shortages particularly affect rural and regional areas. When I am out in my community speaking to vet staff and pet owners and farmers, that is certainly the experience that they share as well. Vets experience difficult interactions and often abuse from clients. Vets provide benefits well beyond private consultations for individual pet owners. Their work does contribute to broader animal welfare, biosecurity and wildlife protection and is integral in times of emergency, but they simply are just not treated the same as other healthcare professionals, whether that be in respect of reform or changes to make the work easier. The inquiry also considered whether the broader vet team could be better utilised, such as appropriately trained vet nurses taking on greater responsibility to reduce unnecessary pressure. That is certainly something that the Animal Justice Party has proposed under a vet nurse practitioner model a number of times, and it is something that I will speak further about in this debate.

This crisis is not new, and it is time that we started fixing it. In this motion I have one simple proposed change among many changes that need to happen in the vet care sector. It might be seemingly small, but it is certainly not symbolic. It will go a long way towards alleviating some of the pressures that vets face every single day. This motion calls for a change that would allow electronic prescribing in the veterinary industry. Unlike human health, the veterinary industry still does not have regulations that allow vets to offer electronic prescriptions. This might not seem like a big deal, but certainly in many areas around our state it creates a huge accessibility issue, and it is exacerbated by a cost-of-living crisis. It results in significant barriers to accessibility and animal welfare as well.

Living in regional Victoria myself, I can speak to this firsthand. I have 15 pet sheep who often require antibiotics, particularly in winter if they get an abscess from the wet ground. Every single time that I need to get those antibiotics, even though I administer them myself, it requires a vet visit on farm. There is the consultation cost for that vet visit and the cost of the medication. They need to handwrite the script because they do not have electronic prescribing, and then that medication is handed to me. The cost of that is much higher than if there was the healthcare professional to client relationship that exists in human health care and the ability to electronically prescribe me that medication. Certainly for me, I am very privileged that I can afford that care when I need it. But we know that here in our state times are more difficult than ever before and people are having to make really difficult decisions about what they can and cannot afford. As long as vet care costs continue to rise, this is something that many Victorians have had to forgo as a result.

We know that allowing electronic scripting would reduce the administrative workload for veterinary clinics. It is estimated that there would be around 173 hours per month saved in clinics by making this change. It would allow not just pet owners but livestock producers to have veterinary prescriptions dispensed by a pharmacy of their choice, which would increase competition and reduce medication costs. It would also give people the ability to buy these scripts online and have them delivered too. It is an important measure that would provide cost-of-living relief, improve animal welfare and improve access for regional Victorians, who often, on top of all of this, have to travel really long distances to a vet clinic – and I can see Ms Bath nodding her head. Certainly where I live is not anywhere near the most regional part of my electorate, but we have had one vet clinic close, which has resulted in all the clients from that clinic going to the one existing clinic. It is hard to get an appointment. In many parts of regional Victoria we are seeing clinics closing completely or reducing their hours because they do not have the ability to operate. They are losing vets. In fact it takes around two years for a regional Victorian town to fill a full-time vet role, and as long as that is not done the whole community suffers and of course animal welfare suffers as well.

Being able to access medications at a local pharmacy could mean the difference between an animal suffering until an available appointment appears and receiving prompt relief for that animal. It is necessary for both those with companion animals and people with farmed animals – people with pets, like me, or people who are running an agricultural business where access to necessary treatment is an essential part of animal welfare, and those animals are sometimes quite difficult to take into a veterinary clinic to be sighted by a vet in person. That is not to say it will bypass any necessary consultations, which will be determined by the veterinarian overseeing the animal, but rather it will remove an unnecessary administrative barrier, allowing vets to be available to see more cases where their expertise is truly needed and get into that work that they became vets for, which is caring for animals, relieving their suffering and ensuring great health for them. So much of the stress and burnout is because of the extra administrative burden, which we could all very simply relieve.

Victoria has the opportunity to be a leader in this space and can implement vet e-prescribing administratively without waiting for a national framework, which has been the hold-up in progressing. This has still, despite that, received support from agriculture ministers and parliamentary inquiries across the country. We are hopeful that a change like this can be supported by the government for many reasons, not just animal welfare, but – knowing that this government is trying to do what it can to address the cost-of-living crisis, to help regional Victorians who deal with the brunt of that crisis, often the worst – also to acknowledge the really important bond that we share with our animals. They are part of our family, and particularly when times are hard like they are right now, the comfort and the companionship of that animal is more important than we know.

This proposal is, of course, part of a broader policy and piece of work by the Animal Justice Party, which I have spoken about many times before. We call it Veticare, which is the idea that we can have some sort of an accessible and even subsidised vet care system for our animals, just like we have in human health, which of course was transformational for many when it came into effect in our country, and we cannot imagine life without it. But the reality is that vet care is run through private business and it is a commercial operation, and that has resulted in an information gap where pet owners, who are often in distress, do not understand why costs are rising when vets are simply trying to meet overheads, pay their staff and support their own ability to get by in this current climate. We think it is really important that the government do what they can to support this sector, because it is for reasons like that that we are seeing increased client abuse towards vets and vet staff and misunderstanding about why vet costs are continuing to rise. Vets do not want to do that.

I spend a lot of time at my vet. I have 25 animals, and certainly I have found when it rains, it pours. I have been in there a lot recently actually talking to them about this proposal. They say that something like this would really relieve those pressures, because they would no longer be asking people to come in for a consult, pay for the consult, get the handwritten script, take it elsewhere and get the medication dispensed themselves. In some cases that handwritten script has to be mailed to a pharmacist before it can be filled. So there is a real accessibility issue here that is resulting in pet owner frustration, because they love their animals and do not want to see them suffer, but then also a regulation barrier that does not allow vets to act immediately like they could in human health care.

We would love to see something like this supported by the government, alongside a range of other reforms that I will briefly speak about. The need for subsidised vet appointments is something that we see as critical in the vet care sector, particularly for those who might be concession card holders or seniors or students. There is certainly very much this idea that if you cannot afford to have an animal, you should not have one, and we think that it is far too simplistic. Many of the people who need the love and companionship and comfort of an animal are people who are in circumstances where they may not be able to afford it. This of course is also not acknowledging that situations can change. In my role I have dealt with many women who have escaped violent relationships and violent homes, and their one source of safety and security has been that animal that they have been able to leave with, but they have lost financial security and can no longer care for that animal. The importance of them being able to get the vet work so that they can continue to have that animal just cannot be understated. We have a proposal that is actually being costed up right now to see how this model could work that we are hoping to take to the election.

What we do know is that vet care is becoming increasingly costly for owners and there can be the inability to pay those costs. There are several factors driving that, including a substantial rise in pet ownership post COVID, but this financial burden for clients is also an emotional burden for vets. We will have more to say about this accessibility piece. We would really love to see that considered by the government as well, noting that it will cost money, but it would save money in other ways because our pets bring so much to our lives and relieve many other social issues, such as rising mental health issues, loneliness and poor physical health – of course our pets get us outdoors – and it is incredibly important that we keep pets and families together.

Something that also is a significant pressure in the vet care sector is the expectation that they treat wildlife for free under a good Samaritan expectation. In regional areas this is obviously exacerbated, where there are more cases of wildlife road strike or displaced wildlife. At my own vet clinic they actually fundraise to pay the cost of caring for wildlife, but this certainly should not be the model for an industry where they have this expectation placed on them but no support in order to do that. Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 and Wildlife Regulations 2024 there are exemptions that allow vets to do this, but they actually do not get any wildlife training while they are at university. This has been seen as a real knowledge gap and something that needs to be addressed. In a country that is known for its wildlife, the people who are tasked with caring for these animals actually receive no training in order to do that. We see that as something that should be addressed, particularly as we are seeing bird flu enter our state. For the vet care sector to have that support to treat and care for these animals is incredibly important. There is a wildlife shelter in my electorate, Red Box, that actually has a vet who has done extensive wildlife training, which he offers to vets who would like to learn more. But that is optional and not something that is part of the training at university.

In coming to this motion I was contacted by a number of vets who run hotlines. We are used to the ability to call 13SICK, go on the virtual ED, go to an urgent care clinic or just walk into the emergency department of a public hospital. But again, in the vet care sector, not only do we not have this, we are increasingly seeing after-hours clinics closing because of inability to fill the shifts or to meet the expectations of that, and something that has come about is vets filling that gap by opening hotlines. One of those is VetCheck 24/7, which is an established teletriage service that provides access to qualified vet nurses around the clock. Anyone across the country can call up this number at any time, and they will give an assessment of the animal’s symptoms, provide first-aid advice where appropriate and help determine whether an animal needs emergency care or a routine appointment or can be safely monitored at home. This service does not replace a vet or a physical examination. However, it simply helps pet owners make informed decisions about what care their animal needs at a time when they may otherwise be left trying to make that decision alone because of a lack of resources or infrastructure, and for regional Victorians, again, that advice could make an enormous difference.

With more than 1.4 million households owning companion animals, there is a clear opportunity here for the government to support and expand this model to ensure that while we address this vet crisis and fill vet roles, anyone anywhere in the state will still have the ability to access care, even if that is over the phone, to give them that comfort, that advice and that security, because when the animals we love are sick, it is an incredibly distressing situation. Separately, some things have arisen in the lead-up to this. Relatively recently we have seen the Commonwealth paid prac program. This is a real example that relates to the electronic prescribing problem, where advances happen in human health because there is that respect and consideration of their sector. We have seen the paid prac program only come in for human health – vets and vet nurses have been left out of that. That is the difference between students receiving nothing and receiving $340 per week. When we need to fill vet roles – we have a vet shortage on top of all of this – it is incredibly important that we see a consideration by the federal government.

We would love to see a nurse practitioner model implemented in the vet care sector, again to reduce burnout to ensure that vet nurses – so many of whom have come through the government’s free TAFE program and are now leaving because of burnout – have that job satisfaction but also to relieve the pressure on vets, who are taking up so much time doing tasks that only they are allowed to do. Vet nurses could take on some of the role that is more up-front and up-close care, allowing them to do the things that they love as well. This is a significant amount of reform, but electronic prescribing would be a meaningful way to start that – an acknowledgement of this really big issue that we need to address in the stresses, the burdens, the burnout and that feeling of disrespect within the vet care sector.

I particularly want to thank Dr Megan Auld, who is a co-founder of the Australian Veterinary Innovation Council, for her tireless advocacy across the health and agriculture portfolios. She brought this issue to me some time ago now, and we have used this general business motion because we really want to see it advance and to see the government put their consideration on the record. I also thank Dr Jack Ayerbe, who is a longstanding pillar of the vet industry; Dr Mos Siddle, veterinary surgeon and founder of VetCheck 24/7, who gave us lots of advice in relation to this; my personal vet, from whom I get a lot of feelings about what needs to happen in this space and who has helped guide me in ideas for reform; and every vet for their work and every vet nurse and everyone in this sector who is in it because they love animals.

They are not getting a fair go, and hopefully today is a step forward towards that, with the government agreeing that this is an area that should be pursued. It is a very simple measure that does not require legislation, and I am hopeful we can get on with it. I commend the motion to the house.

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (11:22): I am pleased to rise to make a contribution on this motion in Ms Purcell’s name. The motion addresses a range of points, but principally it is in regard to electronic prescriptions, making workloads for veterinarians easier and facilitating ease of access for pet owners or farmers to have prescriptions dispensed by a pharmacy of their choice. I note Ms Purcell did also address things like mental health and workforce support in her motion. I will come to those points in a minute.

I can say that the government’s position is that we support the motion. I want to take the opportunity to talk about my experience as a pet owner. We can talk about emotion and what that might mean to the industry, but it is also good to talk about what that means to individual pet owners. My dog Skye is an older girl now. She is about 13, and she cannot hear very well anymore. She has got cloudy eyes and she cannot see. She has a sort of deformed paw, which she has had from when she was a pup. As she has gotten older it has become more problematic for her, and she suffers from an arthritic condition. It causes her lots of pain. One of the things we need to do to help keep her pain free and comfortable is to take her to the vet. She is prescribed gabapentin, which is something that humans are prescribed as well, for pain relief. It is an anti-inflammatory type of thing.

When we started getting that for her the vet gave us a script, but we then went and got it filled at the chemist. That was a new one on me; I did not know that was a thing. Certainly, to Ms Purcell’s point about electronic scripting, as you know, doctors send us humans scripts all the time by text message. You just go into your chemist and scan it. It is very easy, so it makes good sense to have this same sort of thing available. I still would have to take my dog to the vet. They would still have to make an assessment of her and her pain levels to see whether the level of medication was appropriate, but then it gives them time to be able to just send that to my phone or whatever and I can go and fill it at the pharmacy, or if I need a refill without having to go back to the vet, it just makes it a lot easier. That is a real-world example from everyday people, and I am sure other people in this chamber – everyone – who might have different types of pets, whether it is pets or farm animals or whatever, can see that these sorts of initiatives would make it easier for people from a cost-of-living perspective as well, not having to go back twice and pay for appointments and the like. It is just easier. But also for veterinarians, who are very busy, just being able to add that additional factor is going to make it easier for them.

I just want to talk about workforce wellbeing. It has been a significant issue in the sector. We have heard multiple times of things being reported in the media about vets and the emotional toll that is experienced by them dealing with pets and obviously pet owners. When their animal is in distress, people can be in distress and sometimes difficult to deal with, depending on what is going on. We also know that sometimes when animals are unwell the cost of getting treatment for your animal can be really, really expensive. For example, in my case, Skye was too old when I got her. I could not get pet insurance, so there is nothing I can do about covering the costs for that. I have had lots of animals over my life, and some of them have needed very expensive dental care and all sorts of things, and none of that has been covered by pet insurance or anything like that. So of course people are concerned when they take their dog to the vet about what is going to happen in terms of costs, so that can make people difficult.

As I said, we know that Victorian vets are facing more pressure than ever before, especially vets in regional communities, and as Ms Purcell spoke to, there is difficulty recruiting and retaining workers and it makes it hard for our vets. There is an emotional toll to the work that they do, and vets are experiencing burnout, so in 2025 the Victorian government introduced psychosocial health regulations to strengthen the occupational health and safety framework. The psychosocial regulations were drafted in consultation with unions and employer groups, and an important move was to recognise that the way we work has in fact changed, and the hazards that workers face today are not the same as the ones they might have faced 20 years ago – for example, psychosocial hazards such as bullying, sexual harassment, aggression or violence. We hear about this not only in this sector but also from retail workers and the like, flight attendants, healthcare workers – it does not matter if you are in a client- or customer-facing role, it just seems that there is this exponential explosion in occupational violence and aggression and also exposure to traumatic events or content. These things continue to cause harm in Victorian workplaces, and in many cases psychosocial injuries can lead to longer periods away from work, with just 42 per cent of workers with mental injury returning to work within six months in the last financial year, compared with 75 per cent of workers with physical injury. So you can see that while you may not see the obvious effects of a mental injury, they can linger longer than, say, a physical injury can, and it is nonetheless still so critically important to get treatment for a mental injury just like you would a physical injury.

There has been funding for four mental health and wellbeing hubs in Cowes, Warrnambool, Horsham and Ballarat, and that will mean that regional Victorians can continue to access free mental health care close to home. The loss of any person to suicide is tragic and has long-lasting and far-reaching impacts, and that is why we are making sure that all Victorians can get the support they need. There is a further $6.5 million investment to deliver suicide prevention programs, including the hospital outreach post-suicidal engagement program as well, and a further $5.5 million investment will strengthen responses to those who are experiencing mental health crises through trialling expanded models of care and continuing the TelePROMPT program to provide better access to mental health care via 000.

With about 3 minutes left on this one, I know my colleagues will also want to make some comments on this as well, there is lots I could say about cost-of-living relief, and I might just address some of these things. In the budget we are investing $18 million to enable pharmacists to treat more Victorians with more conditions without a trip to the doctor for a prescription. This was previously trialled as the community pharmacy pilot, and the investment locks it in for good and makes it even bigger.

As you can see, these initiatives that we have already worked on almost paved the way, if you like, for something like the initiative that Ms Purcell is talking about in her motion. But we have also helped Victorians with cost-of-living relief with things like the power saving bonus. We have also invested in supporting 27,000 homes to install electric heat pumps. A $12 million investment will fund the rollout of insulation upgrades and Victorian energy upgrades. There are 65,000 Get Active Kids vouchers – again, an investment to ensure that kids can get a voucher for up to $200 towards the cost of kids sport, which, as we know, is very important for anybody who might be struggling with mental health conditions or concerns. Sport is actually a really good thing for that. There is $9 million to support frontline organisations through community food relief. So there are lots and lots of things that we are doing.

This initiative that Ms Purcell speaks to is another way of supporting Victorians to cut back on any of those unforeseen costs. As we know, when an animal is sick, sometimes you may not have the necessary cash on hand to treat your animal or take it to the vet, and this can cause added pressures as well. I will leave my contribution there. We are always happy to look at reforms to support people, and this initiative will also help us have conversations with the veterinary workforce, farmers and pet owners.

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (11:31): Up there with our GPs, our teachers and our nurses, our vets and their practices are gold in communities, in particular in regional communities. I grew up on a farm, and I note the important and close working relationship my father had with our local vet. In fact I think Christmas gifts were exchanged in gratitude for the work that they did, and it still continues on in a great dairying community. Speaking as the lead speaker for the Liberals and the Nationals, this motion before us has merit. It is multisectional, and there really is not a great deal of time to go through each and every part, but I will get to the nub, which of course is e-scripts.

First of all, I want to bring some understanding and reflection into the house in relation to veterinarians. The opening part looks at their essential role in public health, animal welfare, biosecurity, agriculture and community wellbeing, and I certainly endorse those sentiments. But one of the things that we really see with vet clinics and veterinarians is that they provide an essential service while operating as a small private business. That is the business model overwhelmingly, unless they are employed by Agriculture Victoria, which is a different conversation. Some of that essential service, if we look to floods, if we look to bushfires or if we look to storms and the like, is for not only our livestock and our farm stock – cattle, sheep, goats et cetera – but our pets and our companion animals, which are very, very dear to all of us, and also our native fauna.

When we have droughts, bushfires and the like, we see our veterinarians come out and assist. Often there can be injured native species on the roads, and our vets are often contacted. Indeed, I had a vet live down my street for many years. There was a wildlife carer at one end and a vet at the other, and they were out volunteering their time – and we really respected that – on many, many occasions. If animals are brought in, they bear that cost for the community service in a private business model. I am just putting that on record.

Let us go to the nub of the issue, which is around e-prescriptions. Certainly the Liberals and Nationals will support sensible reforms that reduce unnecessary paperwork, improve access to veterinary medicines and make life easier not only for vets but for companion animal owners and farmers. As we are evolving, we need to evolve with the technologies, and we saw that certainly through COVID and the lockdowns with the digital technology that arose then and is used well now. But we should be clear about the problem we are solving. In terms of this particular issue, vets already do prescribe drugs, and indeed you can send them electronically to the pharmacy or you can take it into the pharmacy. It is going to be through a paper system, but that can work. Indeed I was speaking to a vet in my town only this morning to do a little bit of research, and she provided some context. The context is that of course large vet clinics often hold drugs and the like for stock, so it is not really going to be appropriate that you would use those digital forms and run off to the pharmacy for large stock items. Small animal clinics also are a dispensary in themselves. It is really important that as a small business, those vets have the opportunity to serve their client by providing the drug of choice and of need there and then. That is an important element. We do not want to remove that relationship between the vet, the animal and the carer, the owner of that animal. When I was speaking with the vet this morning she said, ‘Look, there might be some minimal savings in terms of time.’ She certainly was not opposed to it. It is not the panacea to all issues, but it can be one element.

Of course vets do prescribe human drugs, we will say, in terms of antibiotics or cortisone and the like. If they do run out in the clinic you can go into your pharmacist. Again, these are the good relationships that our local communities have between the veterinary clinic and our local dispensaries.

Digitising can work. Pharmacists do that work, and regional pet owners can potentially access more competitive prices. But in the regions you often have to travel, so the bargain you might be getting in one area might mean that you have to use your car on a bumpy road to get there. There can be genuine consumer choice increases and benefits.

In terms of livestock, e-prescriptions also have potential for farmers, but we should not pretend that this solves every problem in relation to livestock medicines. Livestock operations require quantities and logistics. They require freight and availability, and sometimes – as I have spoken about – the large volumes of material can actually be a practical barrier.

The Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria requires a veterinary practice to ensure the owner and the animal relationship is established and maintained. It is, as I said, a really, really important one.

In short, on e-prescriptions, where there is a sound principle to this, where the vets have the ability to issue compliant prescriptions, where regional Victorians get a greater choice – of course I have been focusing on regional Victoria, but clearly we have amazing vets right across the state – where there is that more practical choice and where there is unnecessary paper handling, they will not revolutionise, but they will be another string to the bow. Also where clinical safeguards still remain, then this investigation, as is called for, into options to enable these reforms, including via gazetted and/or other methods, I think is sound practice.

There are a couple of other points I would just like to raise. A dear friend of mine is actually a practice manager of a vet group, and one of the things that she raised with me is that part of this whole service in our vet clinics is also about the tremendous vet nurses. Some of her concerns that she has raised are in relation to the quality of training in our vet nurse system. Of course you can be trained through a registered training organisation or through a TAFE. There seems to be a propensity – the sense that I get from her – that the TAFE sector needs to pull up its socks in terms of the quality of the graduates. Now, they are happy to take people who are qualified, who work and have the expertise, but they tend to actually have to go off to the RTOs and accept people who have gone through that training because our TAFE sector is not bringing the standard that should be there when a qualified vet nurse enters into a practice. I think that is really important.

The other issue that I would like to raise is that the Liberals and Nationals have just put the Planning and Environment Amendment (Agricultural Land and Food Security) Bill 2026 in this house, and we raised the very real factor that state gross product for our agricultural sector, food and fibre, is $22 billion annually. A very important part of that of course is livestock. Let us not be under any illusion that the role of the Animal Justice Party, if it went to its nth degree, would be to shut down our livestock farms. Whether it be dairy, beef or sheep, it would shut them down. In consideration of mental health, what would that then do to a whole sector of vets if that was brought to fruition? Let us not be under any illusions. We, the Liberals and Nationals, support vets, support our communities and support livestock industries as well.

 Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (11:41): I rise to speak on Ms Purcell’s motion. The Greens are very supportive of this motion and thank Ms Purcell for bringing this issue to the chamber today. The Greens agree that access to electronic scripts should be extended to vet services across Victoria, as we have seen for human health services. For people with disabilities, people that live in rural and regional areas and those without access to decent transport or with cost restrictions, there are many barriers to services that digital health care can go some way to alleviating.

Veterinarians do extraordinarily important work. They care for animals who share our homes. They support farmers and regional communities and protect animal welfare. They respond to disease outbreaks, and they play an essential role in biosecurity and public health. But we also know that the vet profession is under extreme pressure. Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer has described a significant national veterinary workforce shortage, and the recent South Australian parliamentary inquiry that Ms Purcell circulated to colleagues found reports of burnout, emotional distress and suicidality were growing across the profession. It heard about excessive workloads, unpaid and out-of-work hours, financial pressures, rising client abuse – largely, as Ms Purcell covered, due to the pressures that people are finding in this sector – and the moral distress vets face, which comes from caring for injured wildlife, stray animals and animals whose guardians simply cannot afford treatment. That inquiry was very clear that there is no single solution to this crisis that is facing the profession. The sector needs better working conditions, better remuneration and mental health support. We need stronger regional vet services, and we need a serious workforce strategy for the vet workforce. But the inquiry did also specifically identify digital reform, including electronic prescriptions, as a really low-hanging fruit area where governments can easily reduce unnecessary pressures on vets and folks with animals who are using their services. That is why this motion is completely sensible today.

In human health electronic prescriptions are now really routine, yet vets in Victoria remain reliant on cumbersome handwritten and computer-generated prescription processes, which means more time writing, handling and managing scripts, more unnecessary admin, and in some cases additional trips to the clinic for people who are simply trying to obtain medication for their animal which might be routine. All of this adds up to time and energy that vets could be putting towards treating more animals. There is also a really clear benefit for people who love their animals. Vet care is expensive and medication costs can add substantially to the bill that they face. Allowing prescriptions to be sent electronically and, where appropriate, dispensed by a pharmacy chosen by the animal’s guardian would make it much easier to compare prices and access medicines. That really will make a big difference during this cost-of-living crisis.

This will be very important, as has been noted by several speakers, in regional Victoria. When the nearest vet clinic may be a decent drive away, requiring people to return simply to deal with a paper prescription is not just a minor inconvenience but a pretty big undertaking. It adds delays and additional costs and can ultimately mean delayed treatment for an animal, or I imagine in some cases it would make accessing treatment impossible.

Importantly, Victoria does not need to wait indefinitely on this topic for every jurisdiction to move together. The Victorian Department of Health already recognises that some provisions of the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2017 do allow the departmental secretary to approve additional matters, and the department already publishes secretary-approved criteria for electronic prescriptions.

This motion today describes a really large problem but a very tangible and easy solution that we could implement. I am very glad to hear the government is considering this motion positively. I certainly hope that we will see progress on this in the near term, because it will make a real difference to those working in the profession and to those who are seeking care for their beloved animals through vet access. Electronic prescribing will not fix the crisis that is facing the vet workforce, but it is a practical and achievable reform that can reduce administrative burden, improve access to medicines and make vet care a little easier, both for the professionals who are providing it and the people who are trying to seek proper care for their animals. The Greens will be supporting the motion today.

 Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (11:47): Thank you very much for the opportunity to rise and speak on the motion moved by Ms Purcell. Like the previous speaker from the government benches, I reiterate that we will be supporting this motion. Our government is focused on real issues facing Victorians, including keeping people safe and delivering great health care and education. As part of this commitment, we are always looking for new ways to make life easier for our pet owners right across our state and the vets that so often care for their pets. Vets do incredible work in our community looking after what is essentially a part of our family. Pets are a fundamental part of our family. They offer us unconditional love, and they are there for our family milestones, so it is deeply important that we look after them too.

This motion rightly highlights the potential benefits of electronic prescribing, or e-scripts, within the veterinary industry. We acknowledge that allowing pet owners and farmers to have prescriptions dispensed by a pharmacist of their choice could reduce medication costs and align the veterinary sector with doctors, dentists, optometrists, midwives and nurse practitioners. We are always interested in reforms that make people’s lives easier and reduce cost-of-living pressures and are open to conversations about how we can further support this important workforce and of course the farmers and pets. However, these changes require the government to consult deeply with community and with industry. We must develop fit-for-purpose regulatory reforms that will accurately meet the expectations of both vets and pet owners alike. Industry-wide reforms take time to get right. It takes a lot of in-depth consultation with workers and with industry bodies, and furthermore there is a question around alignment with other jurisdictions.

This motion touches explicitly on the significant workforce pressures, the mental health risks and the heavy toll of vet stress and burnout that the industry is currently facing. It goes right to the heart of how we support people in their workplaces. Our government will always back working people. We know that Victorian vets are facing more pressure than ever before, especially those in our regional communities. There is of course difficulty in recruiting and retaining workers, and it is making it even harder for our vets on the ground. Many young vets are drawn to the industry because of their profound love of animals, but the emotional strain of the work is incredibly high. Having to be the bearer of bad news over and over again takes a massive toll on their wellbeing.

To address that, the government has undertaken a range of regulatory changes, including strengthening of the occupational health and safety framework through the introduction of psychosocial health regulations in 2025. They were of course conducted in consultation with unions and employer groups, marking an important move to recognise that work has fundamentally changed and that the hazards that workers face today are not the same ones as 20 years ago. Just 42 per cent of workers with a mental injury returned to work within six months last financial year, compared with 75 per cent of workers with a physical injury. To ensure that all workers have the backing that they need we are investing in mental health so people can get the support they need close to home. There are four mental health and wellbeing hubs at Cowes, Warrnambool, Horsham and Ballarat, which will support the regional Victorian community, helping them to access free mental health care close to home. And of course, as was mentioned by Ms Purcell in her remarks, this workforce has had the loss of a young vet, and my sympathies and condolences go out to her colleagues and her friends, because this is a tragedy here in our community.

There is more I could say, but I will just take a moment to thank Ms Purcell for bringing this to us and say that I look forward to following this particular development in our community, because I know for many this will make a real, tangible difference. Thank you very much. I will leave my remarks there.

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (11:51): I also would like to say a few words on this motion put forward by Ms Purcell. I will start by saying the Libertarian Party wholeheartedly supports this motion. It is essentially about making the process of prescribing and delivering medicine for animals by vets more efficient, and I am always very supportive of anything that will remove unnecessary red tape and increase efficiency through the use of technology. I think that this is a wonderful idea, having electronic prescriptions and delivery for vets, as my family of course also has some pets. We have got a couple of rabbits, and the family loves the rabbits, especially my wife. Anyone that tells you that rabbits are cheap is lying, and a big cost of that is the vet itself. I am not pointing the finger at vets – they do a wonderful job – but it is very expensive, and anything that we can do to make that more efficient and lower the vets’ workload and make it cheaper for pet owners is a wonderful thing. Therefore we will be supporting this, and I hope that the government actually does something on this, because otherwise it just seems like a waste. As has been pointed out by Ms Purcell, we have got electronic scripts for humans. There is no reason we cannot have this sort of technology for vets as well. It seems like a basic efficiency measure that the government should be implementing and enabling.

John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) incorporated the following:

President, I rise today to speak on the motion to allow the veterinary profession to make use of electronic scripts.

I would like to first thank the Member from the Animal Justice Party, Ms Purcell, for bringing this motion before the House.

These days, thanks to modern technology, when we visit the doctor, we have the option to receive a prescription for medication electronically rather than physically.

Instead of having the doctor write us a physical script, they can use a program which sends a text or email to our phones, which we can then take to a pharmacy.

Some people find this much easier than using a physical script given they do not have to carry around the piece of paper, and they will be much less likely to lose the prescription.

This can be especially useful for those who are constantly travelling or for those who prefer to have everything organised through one of their personal devices.

Ultimately, this helps to give people more choice over how they go about managing their health.

All you need to access an e-script is a mobile device and an internet connection.

Additionally, receiving an e-script, for those using telehealth services, is instant, saving people valuable time.

These electronic scripts can be sent via the internet to the pharmacy so that the medicine can be ready to pick up as soon as you arrive.

For those who have multiple prescriptions, using an Active Script List can help them to manage them without having to keep track of and digitally store multiple individual script tokens.

Given how e-scripts have been able to benefit many people in managing their own health, the question of whether they could be used in veterinary care is, perhaps, a natural thing for us to consider.

E-scripts are not the only technological innovation which has made it easier and more convenient for people to access healthcare in recent years.

President, another example would be telehealth, which I mentioned only a few moments ago: a service that allows individuals to consult with healthcare providers through telephone or video calls.

It allows people to conveniently get the advice or support they need from their clinicians, all without needing to visit a clinic in person.

Telehealth has a wide range of benefits.

Not only does it improve access to care, particularly for people living in regional and rural communities, but it also reduces travel time and costs.

It provides greater convenience and flexibility for patients, allowing them to receive care from their home, workplace, or another suitable location.

Telehealth can also make it faster to access advice and treatment, supports continuity of care through follow-up consultations, and helps patients connect with clinicians that may not be available locally.

Like the use of e-scripts, telehealth is an example of advances in technology being used to make healthcare more accessible and more convenient for members of the public.

For many Australians, it has become a practical and effective way for getting the care they need, where and when they need it.

People use telehealth for a range of reasons, including to get general health advice, to discuss test results, to renew prescription, to receive mental health support, to review treatment plans, or in other circumstances where a physical check-up would not be necessary.

Electronic scripts and Telehealth were especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They allowed millions of Australians to remain connected with their doctors, specialists, allied health professionals, mental health practitioners, and pharmacists, ensuring essential care during a period of public health crisis.

In fact, more than 219 million electronic prescriptions have been issued since May 2020.

On top of this, Australians accessed more than 100 million telehealth services during the pandemic, demonstrating the value and demand for these models of care.

In its first five years, Victoria’s Virtual Emergency Department supported more than 680,000 people to receive healthcare and health advice remotely, continuing to provide vital support for Victorians even after the pandemic.

Since the pandemic, electronic scripts and telehealth have evolved from an emergency response to a mainstream and widely accepted part of Australia’s health system.

For something which seems such an important part of our medical infrastructure today, it seems strange to think that less than a decade ago, the only legal way to receive certain medicines was through a paper script.

Today, though we are no longer facing the same conditions which we were during the pandemic, innovations which came about during that period such as e-scripts and telehealth are still relevant.

We recognise that people’s lives can be hectic, that many people are juggling multiple responsibilities all at once, and many people would find it easier and more convenient to receive an electronic script or to have a health consultation over the phone rather than in person.

For Victorians, these are trusted methods of accessing the healthcare they need.

We recognise the important role that electronic scripts and telehealth play in delivering accessible and timely healthcare.

Saving people time, giving people more choice, and making use of technology to make our healthcare system smoother, more efficient, and better value for money.

With so many people benefiting from e-scripts for their own health, I wouldn’t be surprised if many people out there are wondering whether it would be possible to do the same for their pet’s health.

We know that, for many Victorians, pets are not simply animals.

They are beloved companions and important members of the family.

They bring comfort, companionship and joy to the lives of countless Victorians.

And for many people they play a significant role in supporting wellbeing and reducing social isolation.

We also know that lack of expert knowledge about animal health does not indicate a lack of concern for the wellbeing of one’s pets.

Victorians care deeply about the health of their animals and want to ensure they receive the care they need.

It may be the case that the use of e-scripts could help people to manage the health of their pets with confidence in the same way that e-scripts have already been helping people to manage their own health for the last few years.

Yet, when considering reforms of this nature, it is also important to recognise the broader work this government has done to improve animal welfare across Victoria.

President, we have strengthened regulations designed to improve animal welfare outcomes, and continued to support shelters, rescue organisations and animal welfare agencies that play an essential role within our communities.

For example, the Labor Government supported all 17 recommendations made by the Taskforce on Rehoming Pets.

As part of this, we passed a bill last year to introduce the new voluntary Pet Rehoming Organisation Authorisation Scheme, which helps participating animal rehoming organisations by providing benefits such as foster animal registration exemptions and opportunities to hold adoption days in registered pet shops.

This provides more certainty, more support and stronger legislative structures to support the sector in the important work that they do on behalf of the community.

With these changes, we hope to see better long-term outcomes in the pet-rehoming sector.

Furthermore, through the Victorian Budget 2026–27, we are investing in the RSPCA to ensure it can continue delivering the vital animal welfare services that Victorians rely on every day.

Our commitment to improving animal welfare has not stopped there.

More recently, we have taken action against unethical breeding practices and puppy farms by commencing a review of the Domestic Animals Act 1994.

This ensured that Victoria’s dog breeding laws remain fit for purpose and continue to provide strong protections for animal welfare.

I believe that Victorians would not want to adopt puppies from breeders if they knew that they were using unethical and cruel practices, that is why it is sometimes necessary to take action to ensure that the public can have faith in the system.

Victorians do not want to see animals being neglected or being treated with cruelty, that goes against the values which we hold, and it does not fit in with the way that our society views pet ownership.

How we treat animals does say something about who we are as a society, and it is important that we as a government are continuing to ensure that we are upholding the standards that the public expects from us.

Taken together, these reforms and investments show the Carroll Labor government’s strong commitment to animal welfare and to ensuring animals across Victoria receive the protection, care and support they deserve.

I have spoken today about the importance of adapting to and incorporating technological innovation within our healthcare system, as well as the importance of the work that this government has done to protect animal welfare.

The question of whether or not we should change the law to enable veterinarians to distribute electronic prescriptions the same way that doctors can is well worth we in this place taking the time to consider and debate, so I again thank Ms Purcell for moving this motion.

Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) incorporated the following:

I thank Ms Purcell for her motion, which the Government does not oppose.

The availability of vet services is a matter of enormous concern to rural and regional communities.

As is the welfare of the skilled staff who provide those services.

This government has a strong record when it comes to tackling animal cruelty and supporting animal welfare organisations.

The 2025–26 state budget provided $16.7 million over two years towards safeguarding the future of Victoria’s agricultural sector and supporting animal welfare.

The 2026–7 budget provided $16.9 million for Biosecurity and Animal Welfare, including funding to enable RSPCA Victoria to deliver critical regulatory services.

It is clear, however, that the veterinary sector across Australia is facing challenges.

A recent study published in the Australian Veterinary Journal on 24 December 2025 found that more than 250,000 Australians live in what the researchers call a “veterinary care desert”

That is, they are beyond a reasonable drive of veterinary services altogether

The article was titled Tyranny of Distance: Mapping the accessibility of veterinary services in Australia using geospatial modelling

It found that rural and regional areas were more likely to be veterinary care deserts

This is very concerning, for a range of reasons.

The authors of that study wrote in an article in The Conversation on 5 January this year:

“Veterinary care deserts increase inequity among human populations, risk animal welfare and threaten biosecurity.

This is because veterinarians don’t just treat pets and livestock. They act as early alert systems, detecting the first signs of exotic or emergency animal diseases.

They also help treat wildlife, often for free, and play an active role in preventing food-borne diseases.”

So, the strength of our veterinary sector is a vital issue for my electorate of Western Victoria, for a range of reasons.

We rely on our vets to care for our beloved pets

In an article in The Australian published 10 May 2026, veterinarian Claire Jenkins was quoted as saying that regional and rural pet owners were being hit the hardest by the fuel crisis, which had increased the cost of taking long trips to access basic veterinary care.

She said:

“People are left with making a decision: Do I get in the car and drive two hours into the city and potentially wait four to six hours for care?”

This shows why the work we are doing to support Victorians with the cost of living is so important.

Labor’s 2026–27 Budget delivers a record $2.3 billion in cost of living relief. 

As one small example of this relief in practice, my office has helped almost 450 people to get 20% off their rego.

And many thousands more across my electorate have applied themselves using the Service Victoria app.

But the strength of our veterinary services sector is not just about cost of living for my constituents.

Veterinary services are also critical for our economy.

Meat and Livestock Australia estimates the number of sheep in the Glenelg Hopkins region alone at 5.77 million, based on 2021 data

And we are also home to almost 850,000 head of dairy and meat cattle, the largest of any region in Victoria.

Veterinary services are absolutely vital for the health of those animals and the viability of those farms.

They are obviously also critical for maintaining our product quality and biosecurity.

But the Australian Veterinary Association’s most recent workforce survey, from 2023–24, found that regional vacancies in veterinary practices were far more likely to sit unfilled than in the city.

Close to half, or 44%, took over 12 months to fill, or were never filled

This is in comparison to 28% in metro areas

What’s more, in solo practices, which are often what smaller communities rely on, 70% of vacancies in solo practices took 12+ months to fill or remained unfilled.

Fewer than one in fifteen vets in Australia now works predominantly in production animal practice according to the AVA survey.

The reasons for this are not hard to find.

Production animal vets in Australia carry heavy on-call burdens

They are regularly on call for more than 20 hours a week, compared to effectively none for vets in metropolitan small-animal clinics

Sadly, South West Coast will be severely impacted by H5 bird flu.

Forty four percent of Victoria’s wetlands are in the Glenelg Hopkins region.

While the brunt of the work here is falling on DEECA, the veterinary sector will still play an important role in monitoring and reporting cases, both in wildlife and in livestock.

I want to take a moment to thank the hardworking and expert staff at DEECA, Agriculture Victoria and other agencies assisting with managing the response to the arrival of bird flu.

They have been diligent in keeping me, and my colleagues here and on the other side, up to date and informed as things develop.

Their dedication and the strength of their collaboration across all levels of government gives me hope.

The complexity of the response to bird flu reflects the need for a thoughtful and consultative response.

We have a range of signals that there are opportunities to help the veterinary sector.

And that these are issues that must be tackled in a coordinated way across all levels of government.

We agree that allowing vets to use e-scripts is a potentially useful change.

It’s clear that it is a change that should be considered as part of the larger picture.

We need to consult with community and industry to develop fit for purpose regulations

And any changes should be coordinated and align with other jurisdictions.

We are always interested in reforms like these that make peoples lives easier and reduce cost of living pressures.

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (11:53): I have been really pleased to hear the contributions to this motion today. It is always really nice when something comes into this chamber and somehow, despite the various different characters in this place, we can agree on an area in need of addressing and something that we should move forward on. Certainly I know with this proposal to allow electronic prescribing in the veterinary sector, whether it is about passion for animals and animal welfare, access for regional Victorians or mental health and wellbeing among our hardworking vets, there are so many reasons to move forward with this change. We know that when this was put forward during the pandemic, for human health, there were a lot of conversations about how it could possibly work. Unfortunately, this part of our everyday life that we did not previously have required a pandemic to force it upon us. We have seen just how much it has helped so many people, just like working from home and other things that came about from that somewhat difficult period in our lives. But the veterinary sector was not part of that change, and it is something that is resulting in Victorians spending more money, animals going without care and increased burden on vets, and there is just so much evidence to show the need to act when it comes to this.

I was really pleased to hear that the government has supported this motion and hopefully will be progressing forward in consideration about how we can actually do this. As I have said, it does not require legislation. It is a change that can happen while they are still in government, and I would really encourage them to do so given that we are not sure what the make-up of this place will be after November. When there is agreement on an issue that needs action, certainly I think it is a responsibility of those who have the ability to take that action to act on it when they know that they have the ability to do so.

We have heard the stories of the people who have been impacted by this, particularly the family of Sophie, who have driven a legacy after her suicide and who are determined to do anything they possibly can to decrease the burnout and the poor mental health rates in this sector. With many people coming into the chamber right now, they might wonder how electronic prescribing could possibly do that, but we know one of the biggest drivers of the workforce pressures in this industry is the fact that vets just have too much on their plate. We should do anything we can do to streamline those services and to ensure that they are not spending unnecessary hours and unpaid hours doing things that we have the infrastructure and the systems to allow them to do electronically, especially when it exists in human health care. Everyone in human health care has access to this, whether it be doctors, nurse practitioners, optometrists or dentists, but we are faced with an ongoing situation where the vet care industry is just not considered the same.

In closing, I want to talk about the importance of this reform for people, because of course when we think of vets we think of animals, but they bring so much to our lives. By addressing the inaccessibility in the vet care sector, we know we are helping people too, because when people cannot afford vet care they are faced with the decision to give their animal up or to deal with the stress and anxiety of not being able to pay for that care. When we are separated from our animals it results in loneliness, which we know is actually a public health emergency. Some research has found that it is comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. There are clear links to show the impact that animals have on addressing loneliness and on being a protective factor in mental health frameworks. In fact data from Pet Medical Crisis has found that 99 per cent of people that they surveyed relied on their pets to reduce loneliness, but they were facing significant barriers in getting the care that they need. We know that there are things that we can do. While there is a larger piece of work in terms of reform to address the crisis in the vet care sector, there are some very simple things that can be acted on now. Hopefully with the passage of this motion today we can get going on that work, whether that be through gazetting this change or through another way to allow vets to e-prescribe. There are so many benefits to it in so many different ways. I thank everyone for their really meaningful contributions to this debate.

Motion agreed to.

Business interrupted pursuant to sessional orders.