HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-10-28 Daily Xml
Contents
Xml

Veterinary Services Legislation

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:27): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development on the topic of the Veterinary Services Act 2023.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Recently in this place, I tabled two documents about complaints made about the Angle Park Veterinary Clinic, which has some connection with greyhound racing in this state but also treats a variety of animals and certainly not just greyhounds. There were serious allegations made by former staff of Greyhound Racing SA in those documents, and I have forwarded the documents that I tabled in this place to the South Australian veterinary board. The workers who had made these complaints had previously forwarded their complaints to the South Australian veterinary board. Indeed, my office is now actually being inundated with owners and former owners of animals, including service dogs and other animals—not just greyhounds—complaining about the operations and particular vets at this clinic.

In 2023, this council passed the Veterinary Services Act. It was assented to by the Governor in 2023. More than 22 months later, it has yet to be enacted. That act, as you well know, provides for complaints, investigations and proceedings to be better handled and particularly for the composition of the South Australian veterinary board to be modernised. It would replace an act from 2003 and regulations from 2017. Therefore, my question to the minister is: when will we see the new Veterinary Services Act actually enacted by this government to do the job that we need it to do to protect the animals of this state?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:29): I thank the honourable member for her question. In answer to the final part of the question, it will be coming to fruition as soon as the regulations are complete. My advice is, including from the veterinary services board, that there is a lot of work to be done in regard to those regulations because there are significant changes.

In terms of the matter of the greyhounds, my advice is that the Registrar of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia was contacted by Angle Park Veterinary Clinic on 17 October 2025 to provide the board with notice that they had been contacted by George Yankovich, an ABC reporter, who had emailed them in relation to documentation tabled in parliament on 16 October by the Hon. Ms Franks titled, 'Further reported concerns and the Angle Park Veterinary Clinic'.

I am advised that the Angle Park Veterinary Clinic provided the registrar with a copy of the email and the documentation which had been tabled on the same day. The registrar reviewed the documentation which had been tabled, noting it was the same report which had been provided to the board as evidence as a notification from July 2024. I am advised the board commenced an investigation. I am further advised that the Hon. Tammy Franks has forwarded the report directly to the board, which responded directly on 24 October 2025.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT