The Australian Veterinarian Association has called on the Federal Government to invest $13.6m over five years in helping graduate vets stay in regional areas.
The AVA proposal—published in the AVA Pre-Budget submission—would see the Australian Government introduce a rural placement incentives scheme for graduate veterinarians to assist in the shortage of rural veterinarians. It would, in turn, improve access to veterinary services and private surveillance performed by private veterinarians to sustain adequate biosecurity levels.
The Rural Bonding Scheme proposed by the AVA involves:
- Providing financial incentives for graduate vets to work in rural and regional Australia
- HECs debt forgiveness for graduate vets working in regional areas
- A proposal similar to that currently offered to medical graduates
- Addressing workforce shortage issues faced by veterinary practices in rural and regional Australia.
- An expected cost of $13.6m over 5 years.
In 2021, the AVA conducted a Workforce Survey which showed that 31 per cent of practices advertising for vets are taking 12 months or longer to fill vacancies. This is in the face of an unprecedented growth in pet ownership in Australia, which has risen by over 20 per cent since 2019.
“Veterinary practices across the country are struggling to find veterinarians and this is even harder in rural and remote areas,” AVA head of Veterinary and Public Affairs Dr Cristy Secombe said.
“The veterinary sector needed help before COVID-19, but with the further impacts of the pandemic, financial support is crucial to the recovery of the workforce.
“Without veterinarians in rural and remote areas—including Australia’s borders—the risk of serious and deadly diseases infecting animals and, in some cases the human population, is dramatically increased.
“We only need to look at the recent Japanese encephalitis virus outbreak and high risk of lumpy skin disease entering Australia to reiterate the importance of strong biosecurity, and veterinarians are part of a strong biosecurity network,” added Dr Secombe.
“A rural bonding scheme, similar to that offered to medical graduates, would be a strong incentive for early career vets to fill non-metropolitan positions.”
