Ensuring high standards of veterinary practice in SA

Consultation has concluded

Consultation Process


Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021. Below is a record of the engagement.


Help us to improve the legislative framework that protects animal health, safety and welfare.

What’s being decided?

We are reviewing the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 and the Veterinary Practice Regulations 2017 to ensure they appropriately provide for the protection of animal health, safety and welfare and the public interest, including users of veterinary services.

A review of the legislation will allow us to:

  • examine its current relevance
  • identify opportunities for modernisation, simplification or where

Consultation Process


Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021. Below is a record of the engagement.


Help us to improve the legislative framework that protects animal health, safety and welfare.

What’s being decided?

We are reviewing the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 and the Veterinary Practice Regulations 2017 to ensure they appropriately provide for the protection of animal health, safety and welfare and the public interest, including users of veterinary services.

A review of the legislation will allow us to:

  • examine its current relevance
  • identify opportunities for modernisation, simplification or where necessary expansion.

Through this consultation, we want to hear the views of both providers and consumers of veterinary services in SA, including but not limited to:

  • animal welfare organisations
  • consumers of veterinary services, including the general public, and organisations representing consumers of veterinary services
  • universities and vocational education providers
  • Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia
  • research organisations
  • professional veterinary membership associations and veterinarians
  • organisations that represent non-veterinary occupations
  • general public

The following resources will help inform your feedback:

  • the discussion paper provides further detail about what the legislation review aims to achieve as well as the core areas where feedback is needed. It also has a number of questions to help inform and guide your responses.
  • the summary tab provides a brief overview of the review.

Information about the review is also available on the Department of Primary Industries and Regions website.

Get involved

Read the discussion paper and summary and have your say:

Veterinary Practice Act Review
Department of Primary Industries and Regions
Biosecurity
33 Flemington Street, Glenside SA, 5065

The content from your submission may be published online at the conclusion of the review or included in a final review report. Personal details identifying you or your organisation, however, will not be published or included in the final report without your permission. If you wish to keep all, or certain aspects, of your submission confidential, please advise the department when making your submission.

How can your input influence the decision?

Your feedback will be considered to identify the changes that might be required to ensure contemporary regulation of veterinary treatment in SA.

A report will be prepared for the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development on the outcome of the consultation.

What are the next steps?

Following this consultation, we will decide if a new Act is required. If so, a draft Bill will be prepared for further consultation and engagement with stakeholders on proposed legislative changes.

Contact details

For general enquiries, please email us at PIRSA.VeterinaryPracticeActReview@sa.gov.au or call us on 08 8429 0854 during business hours (9am to 5pm, weekdays).

Closing date: 5:00pm, Sunday 31 January 2021


Background


Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021. Find out more about the consultation process. Below is a record of the engagement.


A review of the South Australian Veterinary Practice Act 2003 and the Veterinary Practice Regulations 2017 is being undertaken to ensure they appropriately provide for the protection of animal health, safety and welfare and the public interest including users of veterinary services.

This review is an opportunity for interested parties to give their feedback into the relevance of the Act and Regulations in maintaining high standards of veterinary practice in SA.

In determining the scope of this review, the State Government consulted a number of stakeholder organisations, undertook an analysis of the Act and Regulations and compared similar interstate and international legislation.

The information gathered through this process was used to determine feedback topics and guided the development of key questions on these topics.

It is important that the current review of the Act and Regulations is informed by a wide range of perspectives, including:

  • organisations associated with the health safety and welfare of animals
  • consumers of veterinary services
  • veterinarians
  • industry advocacy groups.

Now is the time to have your say on the legislation that protects animal health, safety and welfare and the public interest (including users of veterinary services).

In giving feedback you are encouraged to either answer all or part of the questions in the survey. There is also the opportunity to provide feedback of a general nature.

To have your say, head to the Get involved tab.

Consultation has concluded

  • Get Involved

    Now Closed

    This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021. Find out more about the consultation process. Below is a record of the engagement.


    We are reviewing the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 and the Veterinary Practice Regulations 2017 to ensure they appropriately provide for the protection of animal health, safety and welfare and the public interest, including users of veterinary services.

    The following resources will help inform your feedback:

    • the discussion paper provides further detail about what the legislation review aims to achieve as well as the core areas where feedback is needed. It also has a number of questions to help inform and guide your responses.
    • the summary tab provides a brief overview of the review.

    Have your say:

    Veterinary Practice Act Review
    Department of Primary Industries and Regions
    Biosecurity
    33 Flemington Street, Glenside SA, 5065

    The content from your submission may be published online at the conclusion of the review or included in a final review report. Personal details identifying you or your organisation, however, will not be published or included in the final report without your permission. If you wish to keep all, or certain aspects, of your submission confidential, please advise the department when making your submission.

  • Summary

    Now Closed

    This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021. Find out more about the consultation process. Below is a record of the engagement.

    Below is a summary of some of the key aspects of the discussion paper. For further details, including a set of questions to consider when giving feedback, please download the discussion paper PDF.

    The Veterinary Practice Act 2003 and the Veterinary Practice Regulations 2017 currently regulate veterinary practice in South Australia. The legislation provides for the registration of veterinary surgeons and regulates the provision of veterinary treatment to ensure high standards of competence and conduct by veterinary surgeons.

    The majority of veterinary surgeons registered in the state work in clinical practice offering services directly to the public providing a service for companion, production/farm and equine/performance animals. Most veterinary practices are first opinion practices with a small number of dedicated specialist/referral and emergency centres.

    There is a small subset of veterinary surgeons employed in non-clinical roles, including by government. These veterinarians provide services in biosecurity, trade in livestock and livestock products, research institutions and in ancillary industries (e.g. veterinary pharmaceutical and nutrition companies).

    In addition to the Act and Regulations, veterinary surgeons are required to comply with a number of other pieces of legislation in relation to the provision of veterinary treatment in the state. These pieces of legislation are referenced in the discussion paper.

    The Scope of the Review

    The review is focused on the following topics:

    • structure, name, functions and powers of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia (the Board)
    • registration of veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals
    • fees and charges
    • general offences
    • licencing of veterinary premises
    • scope of veterinary treatment and the provision of veterinary treatment for non-veterinary animal care service providers

    These topics have been identified following preliminary engagement with a number of stakeholder organisations. Specific questions regarding key components of the discussion paper have been included in the survey. There is also the opportunity for those wishing to make a more detailed written submission to do so. Details are available on the Get involved tab.

    No legislative changes have been made at this stage. All suggestions received to help maintain high professional standards in the provision of veterinary treatment in SA will be considered as part of this review.

    While this review is focussed on certain aspects of the legislation to ensure they remain contemporary, there may also be changes identified as part of the process that would create administrative efficiencies and improvements.