The Portfolio Committee 4’s Inquiry into the Veterinary Workforce Shortage in NSW was held on the 29th and 30th August 2023.
Animal Care Australia was invited to testify about the issues faced by pet owners due to the shortage..
Animal Care Australia President, Michael Donnelly and Horse & Livestock Representative, Karri Nadazdy, appeared on Tuesday 29th August 2023.
Opening statement:
Good afternoon,
I am Michael Donnelly – President of Animal Care Australia and I am joined today by Karri Nadazdy – the Animal Care Australia Horse & Livestock Representative.
Animal Care Australia represents keepers and breeders of pets and companion animals nationally and our goal is to promote and encourage high standards in all interactions with the animals in our care.
Our members rely on the veterinary industry for everything from checkups on litters of puppies and kittens, to assisting with impactions in reptiles, or colic in horses and the most painful of all helping us to say goodbye to a pet who has over the years become a part of the family.
Their commitment, dedication and empathy is what most of us respect.
In return they endure long hours, poor wages, an ever increasing level of abuse from a changing society and this clearly takes a toll.
Yet this is not unheard of, we know emergency workers and health system workers all experience the same.
During the Covid pandemic those workers rightfully received a lot of praise and recognition. Strangely despite the veterinary industry also being listed as essential workers – that hasn’t carried through after the pandemic. Yet they are essential. They help us protect the well-being of our pets and animals.
We need to educate society on how to respect those who help protect us and our loved ones and that includes the vets.
We need to help the industry accelerate the education of new workers. We need to improve access to veterinary services.
We need to improve the services that the vets rely on – housing, improved wages, and safer, free access to mental health assistance when they need it.
As any other essential worker will tell you – the experiences they have in one day are more than most of us face in our lifetime.
We are here today to support the veterinary industry and to share how vital they are to us – pet owners – and to offer some solutions for this Committee and the government to consider.
We would like to thank the Chair and the Committee for inviting us to appear today and welcome your questions.
Animal Care Australia’s proposed solutions to the Inquiry are:
- Community expectations need to be reset. Customer facing roles are undesirable due to the behaviour of customers. This is a widespread issue and needs to be urgently addressed.
- A concerted educational effort outlining the role of vets, nurses, other staff and the issues they face daily. Making the general public aware that vets and their staff are also only human. They deserve respect.
- Implement Education based incentives to enter the industry. Subsidies or scholarships to study veterinary medicine should include a period of time that the recipient works in veterinary medicine, particularly in rural areas where education costs are waived or discounted in return for a number of years working in the industry after graduation.
- Some shorter, free courses, ideally in animal emergency care (animal first aid) and animal training. To educate and provide an insight for people considering, but not yet sure about a career in veterinary medicine.
- Consider taking the nursing education structure back to a traineeship. Nurses learn on the job – reducing over enrolments and run similarly to other trades where traineeships include a requirement of TAFE/Uni attendance at least one day per week
- Initiatives to improve and manage mental health issues. Veterinary Medicine courses must include core subjects on mental health management and resources made available for those working in the field to access mental health support easily and free, or very cheaply
- Access to and use of all mental health services should be free for all members of the industry. Prevention is better than cure!
- A Veterinary Telehealth Service. For animal owners to find and access urgent care for emergencies and euthanasia advice as well as for remote locations. A single number to call that could link an owner to an available veterinarian would be enormously beneficial.
- Financial Incentives and better regulation of the Industry. Update the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award [MA000118] to increase the base rate of pay for all sectors of the industry. Amend conditions within the Facilitative Provisions of the Award to prevent empowered abuse by employers and improve the minimum working conditions.
- Recommend the amalgamation of the two existing union representative bodies (Professionals Australia and the United Workers Union) to create a standalone veterinary industry union that is dedicated to representing and improving conditions for the veterinary industry.
- Appoint a governing body responsible for representing the people of industry – one that is actually supported by all the industry.
- Introduce financial benefits to working in rural, regional and remote areas. Provide the same housing benefits, financial bonuses, etc as the government already provides to other essential workers.
- Veticare Program? While it is well intended, Animal Care Australia cannot currently support or oppose such a proposal.
Originally published: September 2023 ACE Newsletter.
