Membership FAQs

The AVA is primarily a membership association for veterinarians.

The main bulk of AVA members are made up of veterinarians as well as vet students enrolled in the 7 accredited universities around Australia.

There are also memberships available for non-veterinarians who work very closely with veterinarians or the veterinary profession:

• Associate Members – must demonstrate a very close association with the veterinary profession and be nominated by a member of an Executive Committee of a Division or Group.
• Non-Veterinary members (Industry Associates) – nominated by an AVA Full (veterinarian) Member and usually to do with a particular function in the veterinary industry.

Join the AVA online!

1. If your qualifications are registrable in Australia as defined by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC), you can apply to become a Full Member of the AVA.
2. If are undertaking the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) examination to become registrable in Australia, the National Veterinary Examination (NVE) you will need to apply for a Student Membership to obtain insurance for clinical placements.
3. If you are not a vet – you will need a Full Member of the association (a veterinarian who is a member) to nominate you to join one of the non-veterinarian membership options we have available.
4. If you are an overseas veterinarian, please apply only if your veterinary degree is directly registrable in Australia.

Being an AVA Member is about more than just perks and discounts. Being an AVA member is about:

• Being part of your professional association
• Belonging to the veterinary community
• Having a voice in your association that represents you in issues of advocacy in local, state and federal government where issues of legislation and regulation impact on you as a professional
• Connecting with like-minded colleagues through networking and events
• Access to CPD activities and points service
• Access to scientific publications via your membership log in

Become a member of a Special Interest Group to enrich your practice and knowledge – you need to be an AVA member first!

The AVA does make provisions for low-income earners, knowing that not all vets earn a full wage, especially if they are studying, on leave for family reasons e.g. maternity leave or returning to work.

If a member earns under $45,000 p.a. (pre-tax, gross annual income) there is a "Full Member Concession" available, with 50% off the AVA fee and 50% off the Small Animal, Cattle, Equine and Veterinary Business groups.

Those applying for a concession will need to submit supporting documents which could be in the form of a letter from your employer or accountant for each year you are claiming the concession. 

The AVA accepts:

• Visa
• MasterCard

We also have pay-by-the-month options:

• Standing monthly credit card instalment
• Standing monthly direct debit instalment

We do not accept American Express (AMEX) or Diners Club cards.

AVA policies are the considered view of the AVA only. Members agree to abide by policies when they renew each year, but aren't obliged to agree with all position statements, which indicate there is a diversity of views on the issue. However, this isn't the main purpose of having policies.

Rather, our policies and position statements are the basis for AVA's advocacy to the public and decision-makers about veterinary issues. You can read more about the whole area of policy and advocacy, and the policy development process in particular on the Policy Advisory Council page.

The AVA's Code of Professional Conduct is owned by the AVA, and some veterinary boards have their own versions of professional codes of conduct. In Queensland, the vet board currently requires registrants to abide by the AVA's Code of Professional Conduct, but no other states do that.

There is a disciplinary process in the AVA's Constitution that allows the Board to take action if there's a complaint that a member has breached the Code of Professional Conduct, which includes the following section about following AVA's policy:
Wherever possible, adhere to AVA policies and guidelines.

1. The AVA policies and guidelines cover a diverse range of topics and issues related to various veterinary activities. It is expected that, except in very rare circumstances, AVA members will adhere to those policies and follow the guidelines as far as is practicable.
2. If an AVA member is asked or required to make public comment about a professional matter that is covered by a policy or position statement, and the matter cannot be referred to the AVA President or nominated spokesperson, the AVA position should be used as the basis of that comment, if that position is known to the veterinarian. In the event that the veterinarian personally disagrees with that position, the veterinarian may state his own position, whilst acknowledging that that view does not accord with the AVA position.

Having input into policy decisions:

The draft policies are published in the Australian Veterinary Journal (AVJ) and are available to members to comment in our discussion forums.

A member needs to be logged in to the website as a member to access the discussion forums, and we don't take comments from non-members into account. This is because it's members who are funding the policy development process through their subscriptions. It wouldn't be fair to members who are footing the bill to give equal weight to those who've chosen not to support their professional association which undertakes this important work on the profession's behalf.

Yes, members can pay for their membership with Provet PLUS+ Points.

To do so, you pay first with your credit card for membership and then submit a claim form with Provet’s renewal receipt.

Membership payments are receipted via email immediately after payment if a member renews online. Receipts for renewals are issued by post within 24-48 business hours of a payment being received.

According to the AVA Constitution, the criteria for Life Concession Membership/"Retired" Membership is as follows:

• Aggregate of 35 years of membership (does not have to be continuous but must add up to 35 years in total)
• Retired from "Full-Time" work, i.e. working under 10 hours per week

There is a fee associated with Life Membership, and this is on the fee schedule.

Life Concession members of the AVA continue to pay for their AVA Groups at the full rate.

There are two types of Associate Memberships available to non-veterinarians, and one conferred Honorary Membership.

1. Associate Membership

   An Associate Member must be very closely affiliated with the veterinary industry or a veterinarian qualified overseas who has not taken the National Veterinary Examination (NVE) to become registrable. Some reasons for not taking the NVE for an overseas vet may be that they work in the sectors that do not require registration to practice.

   An Associate Member can enjoy full rights and have full responsibilities as a Full Member of the AVA with the exception of the right to vote and of holding office.

2. Industry Associate membership (Non-Vet Member)

   An Industry Associate Member is a member who is nominated by an AVA Group due to their involvement in that group or Special Interest Group (not Division) and only a few AVA Groups have specific types of Industry Associate Members.

   These are endorsed by an AVA Member in their specific field e.g. Practice Manager or Business Manager endorsed by the veterinarian (AVA member) of the clinic to be their designated Industry Associate to access the HR Service, Veterinary Business Group and resources and events. Industry Associates can only join the group for which they are nominated.

The AVA Constitution stipulates that Student Members of the AVA must be enrolled in the Veterinary Science degree in an accredited Australian university. Vet Tech students cannot be Student members of the AVA.

Qualified Veterinary Technologists may apply to be Associate Members.

No, Special Interest Groups and AVA Groups are groups OF the AVA. A member must first be a member of the AVA to become a member of a group or Special Interest Group.

Furthermore:

• A Student Online member cannot join a Special Interest Group
• An Associate Member can join many Special Interest Groups or Groups

An Industry Associate Member (NVM) can ONLY join the Special Interest Group / Group that endorsed their application; and cannot just join the AVA in their own right – their membership must be accompanied by their endorsing Group

An Overseas Member can join any Special Interest Group or Group.