Motions

Veterinary Industry

The Hon. S.L. GAME (16:24): I move:

1. That in the opinion of this council a joint committee be appointed to inquire into and report on the effects of long hours, financial strain, high workload and high pressure on the poor mental health and wellbeing of veterinarians in South Australia, with particular reference to—

(a) quantifying the significant economic, social, and emotional benefits that veterinary industry brings to society and having this acknowledged by government and industry;

(b) measures that can be taken to improve veterinarian retention rates, including incentives for working in rural and regional areas;

(c) working conditions, including remuneration, unpaid hours, safe workplace culture and client conduct standards;

(d) measuring and identifying initiatives to prevent the high rates of suicide and burnout among veterinarians, particularly in regional and rural areas;

(e) the role played by veterinarians in providing care to lost, stray, and homeless animals and injured wildlife, dealing with emergency situations, and the financial burden incurred by veterinarians in these circumstances;

(f) reviewing the roles and responsibilities of veterinary nurses with a view to relieving pressure on veterinarians, as well as the training of veterinary nurses and the related workforce;

(g) regulation of veterinary practices, including compliance with psychosocial legislation for the workplace, maximum work hours and after-hours practices;

(h) strategies to improve access to veterinary care during a cost-of-living crisis, including pricing transparency, pet insurance, and other support for disadvantaged animal owners;

(i) the role of universities in preparing veterinarians for practice and the transition to the workforce; and

(j) any other related matter.

2. That, in the event of a joint committee being appointed, the Legislative Council be represented thereon by three members, of whom two shall form a quorum of council members necessary to be present at all sittings of the committee.

3. That members of the committee may participate in the proceedings by way of telephone or video conference or other electronic means and shall be deemed to be present and counted for purposes of a quorum, subject to such means of participation remaining effective and not disadvantaging any member.

4. That this council permits the joint committee to authorise the disclosure or publication, as it thinks fit, of any evidence or documents presented to the committee prior to such evidence being reported to the council.

5. That a message be sent to the House of Assembly transmitting the foregoing resolution and requesting its concurrence thereto.

Within few years of entering the veterinary profession I felt an absolute failure, my self-esteem at an all-time low and my anxiety through the roof. I cannot talk on behalf of all veterinarians, but I want to share some of my experience, and the facts and statistics back up that the people in this profession deserve a platform to share their experiences, their trauma and to have real change to a profession that has frankly been in crisis for too long.

Veterinarians are dying by suicide at a rate four times higher than the general population, and two times higher than other medical professions like doctors and dentists. Many remaining are depressed and anxious. Almost half at any one time are looking to get out. My question, though, is: do those staying know how tough they have it?

A 2020 Monash University study revealed that 70 per cent of veterinarians have lost a peer or colleague to suicide, six in 10 sought professional mental health care and, according to the Australian Veterinary Association, 88 per cent of veterinarians have poor mental health as a result of a toxic work environment resulting from consumer abuse and unreasonable expectations. There have been reports that some veterinarians earn less per hour than someone at McDonald's. Veterinarians do not earn a lot of money. The median salary of a veterinarian in South Australia has been reported to be as low as $75,000 a year.

I want to acknowledge right at the beginning Gary and Kate Putland who, in honour of their daughter Sophie, lost to this profession at the age of 33, established Sophie's Legacy. Sophie's Legacy to my knowledge has done more to help activate awareness and demand real change than has been seen before in this profession. Gary and Kate have a deep understanding of the challenges of this profession, and I have sought their advice and feedback on the terms of reference, as well as looking at interstate and federal examples.

I also want to acknowledge my veterinary colleagues. I have the utmost respect for anyone entering and working in this profession. How long can we hide behind the fake narrative that veterinary suicide is down to compassionate personalities and access to medications? When will the cover-up of the unacceptable working conditions and remuneration end? I am calling on this parliament to support an inquiry into the veterinary profession; this is to be no tick box exercise.

The people in this chamber speak often of caring for the mental wellbeing of the South Australians we represent. Yes, we come at it from different viewpoints and different angles, but I am sure we can agree: we love our pets and it is time we started loving our vets and understanding the true cost of veterinary care. I want to see real government investment in improving the lives of veterinarians as an outcome to this inquiry. The positive impact of veterinarians on the wider community cannot be underestimated: mental health and wellbeing, food production, wildlife, biosecurity, research.

I have spoken in this chamber before of my schooling difficulties, attending no less than five different high schools in different states, but after bringing myself back from the brink of academic disaster and achieving a university entrance score of 99.7, honoured with being dux of my school, I thought I had finally discovered my path to success: hard work, dedication, perseverance, believing in myself—I could do anything. Wrong! Like many others before and after me, after topping my studies and pursuing years of rigorous full-time study to obtain my first-class veterinary degree and with a disproportionately high HECS debt, I found myself disillusioned and depressed with this dream profession.

I have worked as a veterinarian, both in the United Kingdom and Australia. There seems to be a global problem with the veterinary industry, although I am aware of changes in the business model in the United States that show promise in improving the industry. I remember an experience where I was the only veterinarian at the practice for the weekend, living above the clinic. I had weekend consults and hospital patients.

One patient was a 60-kilogram bullmastiff, suffering with haemorrhagic gastroenteritis. This poor dog was regularly vomiting and producing voluminous bloody diarrhoea. All alone, I lifted the dog in and out of his cage, cleaned it, medicated him, put him back, but then this poor dog just started again—more blood, vomit and faeces. It was a seemingly endless physically and mentally distressing process. I repeatedly lifted this dog in and out alone, cleaning vomit, blood and faeces from the cage and my clothes for the entire weekend. I had other patients and duties. I felt I could not eat or hydrate myself properly. At the end, I almost physically collapsed. I know there are worse horror stories.

At one of my first practices, I was paid $45,000 a year, and $30 to take the phone for the night. I could work all night, but it was $30 and back at 7.30am. One night, with a veterinary student in tow, I drove straight through a farmer's fence after doing a calving in the early hours of the morning. It was dangerous exhaustion, but there I was, straight back doing a full day of work. I remember doing my first gastric surgery on a puppy that had eaten a sock. I was alone with a veterinary nurse and a textbook out. It was Christmas Day. I went home and fell asleep in my bed in a soiled veterinary smock.

It is a tough profession and we do hear about the challenges with stress and dealing with sick animals, clients and emergencies, but we need to start recognising the high aptitude and resilience of veterinarians who are succumbing to unrealistic pressures. We also hear about the access to Lethabarb. We hear about the trauma of euthanasia and the subsequent desensitisation to the process. Indeed, I remember my first animal euthanasia so clearly; after that it is a blur, as I tuned out to save my soul from it.

My first euthanasia was a German Shepherd with liver cancer. I had cared for him in hospital. He was utterly depressed. As the deeply loving family came to see him for the final consultation and agreed euthanasia, this dog looked so full of joy. With, in his mind, the relief of going home, he bounded around and wagged his tail, eyes fixed on his owners. Sure, it was fleeting vigour, but it was significantly moving. The family, understandably distressed, started instructing me to 'just do it now, do it quickly', and so I injected. The memory of the slowing down of the tail and the slumping of his body is totally vivid today, almost 20 years later.

I could not tell you how many animals I have put down since. You get desensitised. Unfortunately, many in the public would be shocked to know that the greatest stress is actually trying to manage a full day, with a euthanasia often booked in unexpectedly or squeezed into the schedule. Vets are so under the pump trying to care for a family's loss while themselves utterly exhausted. The greatest challenge can become just getting it done in time and surviving the pressure of the rest of the day.

It is a hard job and there is access to Lethabarb, but veterinarians are not, in my opinion, taking their lives because they put down a poodle, for example, and have access to drugs. I do not think many with children at home or a loving family end their life over a client's pet. That is not to say this does not affect them, but it is important to stop hiding behind this narrative, because it stops those responsible addressing the often barbaric working conditions with totally unacceptable remuneration.

In one of my attempted escapes from this profession, I obtained a postgraduate qualification from King's College London, topping my year and being awarded the Blackwell Prize for most promising teacher. Teaching was such a fantastic time in my life. If only the qualification was directly recognised here in Australia I would probably have continued with it. I have taught at the most disadvantaged schools overseas, closed by the government due to uncontrollable student behaviour. I remember my first day at a college in Kent, England. My car keys were stolen within five minutes and police were called to manage lunchtime violence. It was a relief from veterinary practice.

This is no slight on teachers; it is just that, for me, this is a factual statement. I support a significant pay rise for teachers who effectively increase engagement, attendance and academics, especially in challenging environments. At the closure of my first teaching placement, the principal gave a short speech on our contribution. On hearing the principal, Vincent O'Mara, say, 'Sarah, you won't be a good teacher, you will be an excellent one,' I thought this was a highlight of my life. I wish I had told this to Vincent, who put up with many occasions of his door being flung open as I wished to discuss ideas to turn the school around. Unfortunately, after being brought in as an excelling principal elsewhere to rescue this failing school, he passed away shortly after from cancer.

After embarking on this new teaching career, applying my well-trodden principles of hard work, dedication and perseverance, the feedback from the workplace seemed to shift to 'go home, look after yourself, good job'. What happened to 'be smarter, work harder, stay later'? That was all I understood from my veterinary career. Suddenly, I was finding myself being told to relax and not work so hard when I had never worked less. It was a challenge to my inner negative thinking.

This is no general attack on the teaching profession, it is just a factual statement of my experience. I was working less and being paid more. Many veterinarians earn less than teachers. It is one of the worst-paid professions. I found myself in my next college, a beacon college for other public schools, being praised again. Upon receiving a letter from the college to my home address, I had to read it twice to confirm that, no, I was not being let go. It read:

Dear Sarah,

I wanted to write in order to thank you for your exceptional teaching last year which resulted in so many youngsters in your care achieving brilliant exam results…your excellence as a teacher… inspirational delivery…means that the young people taught by you have had a major advantage…results in the bank which they would have been unlikely to have achieved had they been taught by anyone else.

I am so lucky to be able to stand here today having survived my experience in the veterinary profession and share some other successes I have had. Many have lost their lives, astounding potential within the profession and outside gone forever from the community.

In closing, I would say to our pet-loving nation, that the veterinarian you see in the morning is often the same veterinarian you see in the evening, maybe the same veterinarian who worked the weekend and who may have worked through that night. Client complaints can be a significant source of stress and worry for veterinarians. I have never met a veterinarian who was not an overachiever trying their absolute best. Better community understanding of pressure on veterinarians is needed.

Many veterinarians do not feel they have time to eat or hydrate properly in the day. People need to find out how long their consultation is, be on time, stick to the time, or book a double appointment if you need it. Do not be the reason your veterinarian does not have lunch that day. We need to get real about the cost of owning a pet and we need to reconsider current veterinary business models that are not cost-effective. Frankly, after having attempted to survive the veterinary profession myself, I am surprised there are any veterinarians left in the profession at all.

We associate veterinarians with compassion and love for animals, with intelligence and hard work. It is all true. What we do not hear so much is just how resilient and capable veterinarians are and yet they are topping the list for dying from suicide. Let's not keep asking veterinarians to be more resilient and manage stress better, while insisting that they work in toxic work environments so brutal almost no-one else could stand it. It is time for change. I commend the motion to the chamber

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.