Veterinary Practice Amendment Regulations consultation

Background

The Veterinary Practice Act 2021 (VPA) and first tranche of the Veterinary Practice Regulations 2022 (VP Regulations) came into effect on 18 June 2022. The VPA repealed the existing Veterinary Surgeons Act 1960 (VSA) and Veterinary Surgeons Regulations 1979 (VS Regulations).

To enable the VPA to commence as soon as possible, the previous Minister for Agriculture and Food advised the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to expedite development of the Veterinary Practice Regulations (VP Regulations) by implementing them in two tranches.

The first tranche of the VP Regulations contains essential provisions to support the operation of the VPA and did not significantly change the day-to-day practice of veterinarians and others providing those services in Western Australia. The second tranche, hereafter referred to as the Veterinary Practice Amendment Regulations (VP Amendment Regulations), will implement modern provisions and support the operational requirements of veterinary practice.

Consultation process to date

The draft VP Amendment Regulations have been developed through consultation with stakeholders and the Veterinary Practice Board of WA (Board). During 2022, DPIRD undertook two consultation processes seeking feedback from stakeholders on key provisions of the VP Amendment Regulations:

• The first consultation sought feedback on proposed acts of veterinary medicine and the regulatory options for pregnancy testing and spaying of cattle.
• The second consultationsought feedback on a range of key provisions of the regulations including but not limited to:
  • acts of veterinary medicine
  • acts of veterinary medicine that can be undertaken by authorised persons
  • veterinary students and veterinary nurse students
  • proposed acts that are not acts of veterinary medicine
  • level of supervision requirements and record-keeping and prescribing and
  • the sale and supply of veterinary chemicals.

The VP Amendment Regulations consultation report provides further detail on these consultation processes and outcomes.

Make a submission

Please use the online submission form below to give feedback that may significantly impact the VP Amendment Regulations and which has not already been provided during the previous consultations.

Before providing feedback, please read these three documents:

• the consultation draft: Veterinary Practice Amendment Regulations
• the consultation report
• the policy considerations paper to see how previous feedback has been addressed.

The policy considerations paper provides further information on topics that received diverse stakeholder feedback during the previous consultation process. It describes how these policy issues have been addressed within the draft VP Amendment Regulations and provides further detail on the principles of operation of the VPA and VP Regulations.

VP Amendment Regulations webinar

DPIRD will hold a webinar on 22 January 2025 to provide an insight into how feedback from the previous consultations has been addressed and an overview of the key proposed changes to the VP Amendment Regulations. For more information about the webinar and to register, please use the link below:

• Register for the VP Amendment Regulations webinar

If you would like further information before providing a submission, please use the Questions link at the bottom of this page.

If you have any difficulties providing a submission, please email VetPracticeRegs@dpird.wa.gov.au .

Once you submit the survey you will receive an email confirmation including a copy of your answers.

Consultation closes on 24 February 2025 at 4pm AWST.

Next steps

Following the closing date, DPIRD will consider the feedback and amend the Regulations if appropriate. The Regulations will be provided to the Minister for Agriculture and Food and the Executive Council for approval. A consultation report will be published on this webpage.