VIC Division President's Update

Congratulations to our newly elected President of the AVA, Victorian member Diana Barker. Diana has been heavily involved in AVA at multiple levels for many years, including the Victorian Division, and an AVA Board member since 2021. We are thrilled to have her advocating for our profession at the highest level.

Meanwhile, the Victorian division has been busy in the advocacy space, with submissions to government on:
• Kangaroo Harvest Management
• Biosecurity Strategy
• Victorian Bushfire Strategy

We have also been continuing our work on the veterinary workforce shortage with some media interest in this area, and subsequent enquiries from the office of the Agriculture Minister, Gayle Tierney. In NSW, the AVA has been represented at the parliamentary enquiry into the vet shortage this week. It was a great opportunity for AVA representatives to speak to the AVA submission, providing solutions and leadership on this issue. I’m sure this will be observed closely by all state governments, including our own, and it will be interesting to see what solutions are proposed from this enquiry and how wide-ranging the effects of this may be.

The AVA Board recently approved a Division and Branch Statement of Purpose following on from the 2021 restructure of the association. The Board’s vision is for Branches to provide local education, networking and social support for AVA members, while Division focus on advocacy and supporting Branches. It is time to reinvigorate our branches as these are the backbone of our association. In order to do this we need to reactivate some branches, and new branches may be formed. Information regarding this process is being circulated, however you can contact the division for further information and support to facilitate this procedure. We hope that this will provide more opportunities for member involvement in the AVA at grass roots levels, with continuing education and networking tailored to local level.

If you are interested in contributing to discussions on issues that affect our profession, such as those above, at the division level, please contact us as we do have a vacant position on our committee we would love to fill.

We are also planning a Victorian Division event for November – a one day CPD event followed by a dinner. Stay tuned for details that we hope to confirm shortly. We look forward to the opportunity to meet and chat with many of you at this event.