Veterinary Students

The Hon. S.L. GAME (14:42): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Primary Industries regarding veterinary students undertaking unpaid placements.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.L. GAME: To complete their veterinary qualifications, veterinary students undertake a mandatory 52 weeks of unpaid placement. This often requires students to take time off from paid work, even though they pay a premium for rent and living expenses, completing placements in rural and regional areas. Like nurses, doctors and teachers, veterinarians are essential workers and integral to Australian communities. The federal government has not recognised this, failing to extend the placement poverty payment scheme to include veterinary degree students. My questions to the Minister for Primary Industries are:

1. Has the minister written to the federal government to seek fairness for veterinary degree students by including them in the placement poverty payment scheme?

2. What assistance can the minister offer to veterinary degree students on placement struggling to make ends meet?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:43): I thank the honourable member for her question and also acknowledge her high level of engagement with the veterinarian community. I think there was certainly a great welcome in terms of the federal budget for those students who will now be able to receive payment for placements. I think it is social workers, nurses and teachers, if I recall correctly. I think it is probably fair to say that most of us would be able to appreciate the difficulties of undertaking unpaid placements, particularly in those degrees and other qualifications where they do take such a significant part of the requirements for that qualification.

I am not aware of what the rationale was for the federal government to include those particular three, notwithstanding that we can perhaps speculate around the numbers that are required in those professions, but it is also fair to say that we have a shortage of vets here in South Australia. There is, indeed, a national shortage of vets. That could certainly, I would think, be assisted by provisions that would enable veterinary students to be better looked after, particularly in terms of their placements on this particular occasion.

There also is a wider issue, which I know the honourable member is very aware of, around the poor retention rate of vets within the sector due to things such as working hours. Certainly, the vets board has attempted to address some of the difficulties that were involved in the registration system for vets here in South Australia. So there is a plethora of difficulties, but also initiatives that are being undertaken.

The high level of suicides in the profession is something that has been raised in this place. Our government was pleased to be able to assist with one of the promotional campaigns that was being run by the Putlands in honour of their daughter, Sophie, which I know has had widespread support. This particular matter does come under the Minister for Higher Education, in terms of potential advocacy. I haven't discussed with the minister in the other place whether a letter has been sent, but I am certainly happy to have that discussion.