Tasmanian Division President's Report - December 2024

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my fellow vets. May your festive period be filled with love and laughter, and not too many snake bites, intoxications, and unwell kitties. I would like to take the time to thank you all for your ongoing dedication to our profession. I know that the days can be long and hard at times, but you truly make a difference in the lives of your patients and clients. And a personal thankyou for supporting me as your local AVA president. It has been a privilege to represent you on a local and national level for another year, and I hope I can continue to be your voice over the coming years. 

We have had a big year with state and national advocacy, including working with the State government on the Veterinarian retention package. We have also been working behind the scenes on a number of committees including cat management and dog welfare. We are currently working on our submission for the updated Tasmanian Dog Welfare Regulations, with a focus on the emotional issue of puppy farming. If you would like to know more, please let me know and I will guide you to the right people. We are also working on our national election campaign, with our 5 points - robust workforce, mental health for vets, public good services funding, training tomorrow's vets and animal health and welfare standards. Please see the AVA election page for more information. 

We have also been fortunate to hold our state conference in September. This was a massive success and I hope we continue to go from strength to strength over the coming years. I hope to see many more faces at our next conference in Hobart on 10-12 October 2025.

I finish this year with a call out for help from my colleagues. Our committee has been filled with amazing volunteers over the years and the time has come for these members to step down. I am putting a call out for AVA members who would like to join the committee to help us make a difference. You can be as involved as you can manage, ranging from attending a meeting every couple of months for an hour to being heavily involved in advocacy. It is a terrific opportunity to meet other like-minded vets, give back to our profession and stay up-to-date on the issues that matter to you. Please reach out if you are able to help us out. 

Enjoy the rest of the year and the holiday period. I can't wait to see you all in the New Year. 

Dr Rhianna Booth

AVA TAS Division President