AVA highlights urgent need for support at SA Veterinary Mental Health Inquiry

SA Division President Dr Catherine Harper and Graham Pratt, National Manager Advocacy, represented the AVA on Monday 28 April at the South Australian Joint Committee Parliamentary Inquiry on Mental Health and Wellbeing of Veterinarians. 

The invitation from the Joint Committee came following AVA's comprehensive submission in March which highlighted the urgent need for systemic change and government support. 

At the Inquiry hearing, the Joint Committee showed significant interest in the AVA Mentoring Program and discussed its role and potential expansion.  

Other issues discussed included the role of telemedicine, the regulation of veterinary nurses and technologists, and the experience in other jurisdictions in support of veterinary services. 

The inquiry Committee will hear from other witnesses before handing down a report to the South Australian Government later this year.  

Below is the AVA’s opening statement read at the Inquiry by Dr Harper. 

AVA opening statement – South Australian Inquiry into Veterinary Mental Health and Wellbeing, April 2025 

Chair, Committee Members, thank you for the opportunity to appear today on behalf of the Australian Veterinary Association.  

I am Dr Catherine Harper, Chartered Veterinary Practitioner, practicing since 2013. Like so many others, I have always wanted to be a vet and to this day graduating is one of my happiest memories.  That passion has led me to creating and owning the award-winning business, Barossa Veterinary Service, based in Nuriootpa, Kapunda and Tanunda in the Mid North.  As part of my commitment to the profession I was AVA student President in 2013. A state committee member since 2022 and n AVA SA President since 2024.    

I’m joined today by Mr Graham Pratt, National Manager for Advocacy with the AVA.   

The AVA is the peak national body representing veterinarians across Australia - professionals who are essential not only to animals, but to public health, agriculture, biosecurity, and the wellbeing of millions of Australians.  

For over 100 years, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has supported and advocated for the veterinary profession. As the representative body for Australian veterinarians, we champion the veterinary profession, drive professional excellence, and foster strong connections to ensure a thriving and sustainable veterinary industry. We represent veterinarians across all sectors, from small animal, livestock and equine practice to government, research, wildlife and education.   

Over that time our profession has changed significantly:  

• from production to companion animal focused   

• from male dominated to a workforce now 70% female, and   

• from largely government supported to a majority a private market sector.   

As a member-based organisation, members have always been at the heart of the decision-making of the AVA, and the AVA has moved with our members though these changes. We’ve recognised the workforce and wellbeing challenges facing our industry, and in response have introduced practical, targeted member led support, from mentoring programs for new graduates, to mental health first aid courses, free counselling and assistance and digital resources.   

In 2015, seeing a clear need, the AVA established a national mentoring program for recent graduates. I was part of the working group that built on existing programs that the AVA ran in SA and WA, bringing improved resources online to support young veterinarians as they made their transition to practice and I continue to act as a mentor through this program.   

In 2021, in response to member feedback, the AVA commissioned extensive research into veterinary wellness and developed the THRIVE Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework, built on prevention, promotion and protection. Specifically   

• Prevention - preventing harm and mental ill-health from psychosocial hazards in the industry  

• Promoting - mental health by leveraging protective factors such as strengths, capabilities, and the rewards of work  

• Protecting - individuals who experience stress and mental ill-health.  

This framework underpins our industry led veterinary wellness initiative, THRIVE which includes our hugely successful Cultivating Safe Teams program.   

 Cultivating Safe Teams, based on the construction industry’s ‘Mates in Construction’ is a peer based mental health awareness and action initiative which delivers psychological health and safety awareness training sessions for all individuals working in the veterinary profession. Following a successful pilot in 50 clinics across Australia, we are now expanding the program to reach even more people in the veterinary profession.   

These, however, are only part of the solution. The mental health of veterinary professionals needs to be considered alongside the broader workforce sustainability and business sustainability challenges the veterinary sector has.   

Veterinarians are essential. They protect Australia’s food supply, ensure animal welfare, safeguard biosecurity, and support the mental and emotional wellbeing of millions of Australians through care for their pets. As our submission to this Inquiry outlines, veterinary services underpin a multi-billion-dollar economy and play a vital role in public and environmental health​. Yet financial vulnerability, workforce shortages, regulatory strain, and rural service demands are stretching the industry.   

The challenges in maintaining a sustainable veterinary workforce are diverse. Financial vulnerabilities have led to chronic underinvestment in veterinary practice, there has been continued contraction in public sector veterinary services, and alongside this our workforce is not immune from generational shifts and societal changes. Added to this are the pressures of providing after-hours services, navigating a dated regulatory framework, and providing veterinary care over large geographical areas.  

Our submission outlines strategies to address this, from better funding for public-good services delivered, to sustainable regional workforce models and increased support for veterinary mental health and wellbeing programs.    

We have kept our opening remarks brief as we are keen to give as much time as possible to responding to Committee questions.  

We urge the Committee to consider the mental health, wellbeing and sustainability of the veterinary profession not as a niche issue, but as a matter of public interest and community wellbeing.  

Veterinarians are not only animal carers. They are health professionals, biosecurity officers, educators, business owners, scientists, emergency responders, and community pillars. The solutions exist, and the AVA stands ready to work with this Parliament and the Government to implement them.