Page 3563 - Week 09 - Thursday, 23 August 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
practice and registration of a professional sector: registration: qualifications and suitability; complaints and disciplinary processes, including investigations; interjurisdictional recognition; registration of premises; and establishment of a professionals board. I do not have time to speak to all of these areas but, overall, the Greens are supportive of this bill and the overall framework.
I am particularly pleased that registered practitioners from interstate will now be able to practice in the ACT. This will allow for a sharing of expertise and for practitioners to move freely. The new bill is modelled on the current New South Wales veterinary legislation, which will also foster cordiality between jurisdictions. The Council of Australian Governments has pledged to try to get all states and territories to adopt national recognition of veterinary registration. Under such provisions, veterinarians from other states and territories will be recognised. By adopting the national recognition of veterinary registration the ACT will join five other states in eliminating this unnecessary legislative red tape.
The Greens support this bill and believe these reforms are in the public interest as well as in the interests of our animal friends. As well, it will improve the veterinary services industry within the ACT. I thank Minister Fitzharris and the directorate for their work on this. I know there has been a long history to the reforms of this legislation over the years and I hope this new bill will deliver the reforms needed. I am also glad to see the government amendments which introduce a review mechanism to ensure that we come back in five years to see whether the act has been doing its job.
MS FITZHARRIS (Yerrabi—Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Minister for Transport and City Services and Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research) (3.53), in reply: I am pleased to close the in-principle debate on the Veterinary Practice Bill 2018. The bill was presented to the Assembly on 10 May this year. I am also pleased to hear support across the chamber for the bill. It will commence on a date determined by me in late 2018.
As has been mentioned, and as I have previously advised the Assembly, the bill has been modelled on New South Wales veterinary legislation. New South Wales has a similar legislative model to the ACT’s current veterinary legislation, including the function of a board, but it is significantly more comprehensive and intelligible. Harmonising the ACT’s veterinary legislation with New South Wales will also help to reduce barriers to movement of veterinary practitioners between the borders, thus improving the productivity of the profession in the ACT.
The adoption of the bill will result in minimal changes for the ACT veterinary profession but provide substantially clearer and applicable legislation to regulate and register the profession. It will achieve this through the adoption of national recognition of veterinary registration, a strengthened and streamlined complaints process, as well as greater public reporting and accountability provisions for the regulatory board.
I note the work of the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety in its legislative scrutiny role and the comments provided on this bill in its scrutiny report 18. I would like to thank the committee for their comments relating to right to privacy
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video