VETERINARY PRACTICE (MISCELLANEOUS) AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 26 September 2013.)

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (17:08): I rise on behalf of the opposition to speak to the Veterinary Practice (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2013. It is a relatively straightforward bill that provides for mutual recognition for veterinary registration between the Australian states and territories.

Each state and territory in Australia has separate legislation covering veterinary practice, which is regulated under the relevant state or territory veterinary registration board, known as the VSB. Separate regulatory systems in each jurisdiction have hindered the mobility of veterinarians within Australia, hindered interstate competitiveness and inconvenienced clients with interstate or national interests, as well as those requiring particular veterinary expertise available only outside their own state or territory.

In 2008, the Primary Industries Ministerial Council endorsed the national recognition of veterinary registration. The move had been prompted by the industry in 2006 and has been supported by the Australian Veterinary Association and the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia. Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland have all legislated to support the national recognition of veterinary registration.

Under the legislation, veterinary practitioners who reside outside South Australia but within Australia, and who are registered in another state or territory, can travel to work in South Australia on a part-time or locum basis but do not require secondary registration here. In South Australia these vets will have 'deemed registration'. The same will apply to South Australian vets travelling to work in another jurisdiction that supports the national recognition of veterinary registration.

Vets will no longer need to pay a secondary fee to practise elsewhere. Until now, they have had to register and pay fees annually in every jurisdiction in which they wanted to practise. This has been a major regulatory burden for vets, particularly throughout exceptional circumstances, such as natural disasters.

Veterinary practices in South Australia, if employing a locum from another state or territory, will be responsible for verifying identity and ensuring the registration is current with the respective state or territory board. The implication for veterinary practices is that, if they are employing a locum from another state or territory, it is their responsibility to verify their identity and ensure that they hold current registration with the respective state or territory registration board.

It should be noted that this is not a national registration scheme but a mutual recognition scheme. Among the majority of administrative changes, there are some other notable changes included in the bill. The Veterinary Surgeons Board of SA can recognise courses or veterinary education on the recommendation of the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council. Despite this being the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council's principal function, up until now the South Australian board has been independently approving such courses. The legislation removes this duplication.

It increases the quorum for the VSB by one person. This is to be a veterinary surgeon engaged in teaching veterinary science, nominated by the University of Adelaide. To the opposition, that seems a sensible addition. The VSB and the state and territory boards will be responsible for assisting vets and their clients to be informed of and understand the new arrangements. The boards will need to communicate any special conditions individually applied to primary registrations to other vet boards.

With those few words, I indicate the opposition's support. It is an administrative bill, it makes sense, and it sets up a mutual recognition scheme, so the opposition will be supporting this bill.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (17:11): I rise on behalf of the Greens to support the Veterinary Practice (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill before us. As members are aware, this is a very straightforward bill. I had a similar take on it as the Hon. David Ridgway. The bill introduces a national recognition of veterinary registration. This bill will allow veterinarians, both general and specialist, who are resident in another jurisdiction and who are registered to practise in that jurisdiction in Australia, to be able to practise in our state without having to reregister.

Until now, as the minister has explained, a veterinarian who sought to practise in more than one jurisdiction had to reregister and pay annual fees even though they were already registered in an Australian jurisdiction and practising there. This bill is strongly supported by the Australian Veterinary Association, the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia and the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council.

The introduction of a national recognition of veterinary registration is supported by the AVA, which represents approximately 8,000 members across Australia from all fields of that profession. Certainly, I was approached informally at the Companion Animals' Shelter Summit that I was pleased to co-host with the Hon. Michelle Lensink and Dr Susan Close in recent weeks. One of the hot topics at the lunch debate was whether or not this bill would indeed be passing this parliament in the near future. Those in the profession who were at that summit were pleased to hear that it was seen to be uncontroversial and high on the priority list for government.

One of the changes that will take place if and when this bill is passed is to the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia, which currently holds seven members who are appointed for three-year terms by the Governor. Six members will be nominated by the Minister for Primary Industries and one will be nominated by the AVA. This bill expands the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia to include a nominee from the University of Adelaide.

One of the major benefits of this bill that the Greens applaud and commend is that it will allow greater freedom of movement for veterinarians responding to national crises, whether that is a flood or a fire or some other natural disaster in our nation. The Greens pay our respects to those who come along not simply to address the initial crisis but to ensure that animals are not forgotten in terms of our care response.

This bill will allow veterinarians who operate in another jurisdiction where they are desperately needed to address a crisis in another state or in our state not to have to reregister and pay annual fees before they come and do that important volunteer work. With that, the Greens support this bill and commend it to the council.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (17:15): I will speak very briefly this afternoon in favour of the Veterinary Practice (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2013, which will improve the current operation of the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 and introduce national recognition of veterinary registration (NRVR). I would like to thank the Hon. Gail Gago as Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries for her offer of a briefing on the bill, but since Dignity for Disability already supports the bill and has received a clear enough indication on the bill from the minister's second reading speech, it was not necessary.

I would also like to acknowledge the submission I received from the South Australian/Northern Territory Division of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) indicating their support for the bill and outlining the benefit that this will bring to this particular industry. AVA represents 8,000 members who work within all fields of the sector: from clinical practitioners in private practice to students of veterinary science and government public health and quarantine positions. They seem well placed to represent the industry on this matter.

As with any other occupations, vets are moving to a national registration system to recognise modern work conditions where we see people often working across state and territory borders. It is also important that the relevant industry qualifications are accepted across the nation. For those reasons and others already outlined by other members we support the bill.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (17:16): I thank honourable members for their second reading contributions and their support for what is substantially an administrative bill to introduce the national recognition of veterinary registration. It complements similar amendments already made in all other jurisdictions and allows veterinarians, both general and specialist, who are resident in other jurisdictions and registered to practise there, to be able to practise here in South Australia. I look forward to this being dealt with expeditiously through the committee stage.

Bill read a second time.

Committee Stage

Bill taken through committee without amendment.

Third Reading

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (17:19): I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Bill read a third time and passed.