The particular challenges facing the veterinary profession and the shortage of veterinarians in regional, rural and remote NSW are being examined as part of a wide-ranging Upper House inquiry. 

The inquiry by the Portfolio Committee No. 4 – Regional NSW will investigate a raft of issues including the shortage of veterinarians, the challenges in maintaining a sustainable veterinary workforce, burn-out and mental health challenges facing industry professionals, the impact of current workforce shortages on animal welfare, and barriers to accessing vet care.  

Chaired by Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party representative, Mark Banasiak MLC, the inquiry was established following media coverage of the many issues impacting the veterinary profession and has been welcomed by the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA).  

The national peak body for veterinarians, which has over 8,500 members, says that Australia is experiencing an overall shortage of veterinarians which is placing animals at risk as well as those who work in the profession.

This shortage is much more pronounced in rural and regional areas, as evidenced by the sheer number of communities without a local vet. 

“We have been talking about the veterinary workforce shortage for some time and we thank the parliamentary committee for undertaking this inquiry and taking this issue seriously,” said AVA NSW Division President, Dr Zachary Lederhose. 

The AVA’s 2021 Workforce Survey Report indicated that 40.51% of veterinary job vacancies in NSW took more than 12 months to fill.

At a grass roots level this means the remaining vets are working longer and harder. In the rural context, with the added burden of after-hours work, the cumulative toll of this leads to practices closing as seen in the regional communities of Parkes, Wee Waa and Narromine, among others.  

Recognising the impact on rural and remote communities, the Animal Welfare League (AWL) NSW is on a three-year mission to visit 63 rural and remote communities without veterinary services in its fully equipped mobile B-Double veterinary clinic.

Funded by a grant from the NSW Department of Primary Industries, the mobile clinic recently visited Parkes, Narromine and Wellington as part of this regional tour, providing free health checks, vaccinations and microchipping for dogs and cats. 

According to the AVA, the reasons for the current veterinary shortage are complex but include:  

• growth in pet ownership – Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership with 69% of households owning a pet  
• difficulty attracting veterinarians to regional areas and into production animal practice  
• high educational debt and low salaries, especially for veterinary graduates  
• challenging work environments and excessive workloads, leading to low retention rates. 

“Given the range of contributing factors, we believe that addressing veterinary shortages will require a collaborative response involving the profession, animal related industries and government,” Dr Lederhose said. 

In announcing the inquiry, Mark Banasiak said: “The committee would like to hear from vets, vet nurses, pet owners, farmers, industry and others about the factors that may be impacting access to veterinary care. We are also interested in learning about issues which may impact on the veterinary workforce in Australia, including aspects of the current legislative and regulatory framework.” 

The inquiry is accepting submissions from interested parties, including the general public, until July 21. More information, including the full terms of reference, can be found on the committee website.