Veterinary Surgeons Board of SA
The Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia is a statutory authority established under the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 (the Act), to maintain high professional standards of veterinary treatment in SA.
To report a concern relating to a veterinary surgeon or specialist, contact the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia.
The board is within the portfolio of the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Recruitment of board members is managed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA).
Transition to Veterinary Services Act 2023
The Veterinary Services Bill 2023 passed through the Parliament of South Australia on 30 November 2023.
The Act was assented to on 7 November 2023 and is now referred to as the Veterinary Services Act 2023.
The Veterinary Practice Act 2003 will continue to be in effect until the Veterinary Services Act 2023 commences.
PIRSA is working collaboratively with the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia to ensure a smooth transition to the Veterinary Services Act 2023.
Until the Veterinary Services Act 2023 has commenced:
- the Board will continue to be known as the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia
- Board functions and operations will continue under the Veterinary Practice Act 2003
- Board composition and appointments will continue to reflect the requirements of the Veterinary Practice Act 2003
- all other requirements and offences under the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 will still apply
- the requirement for premises registration will not commence.
For more information regarding the transition, please contact PIRSA.VeterinaryServicesBill@sa.gov.au
Functions of the board
The functions of the board are to:
- recognise courses of education or training that provide qualifications for registration, including for the general register or the specialist register
- determine the requirements necessary for registration on the general register or the specialist register
- determine the specialties in which a person may be registered on the specialist register
- establish and maintain the registers contemplated by the Act
- prepare or endorse codes of conduct and professional standards for veterinarians
- prepare or endorse guidelines on continuing education for veterinarians
- establish administrative processes for handling complaints received against veterinarians or veterinary services providers, which may include processes under which the veterinarian or veterinary services provider voluntarily enters into an undertaking
- provide advice to the Minister
- carry out other functions assigned to the Board by, or under the Act, or by the Minister.
Board membership
The board is made up of 8 members:
- 6 members are nominated by the Minister, which must include at least 1 man and at least 1 woman
- 2 members are nominated by the SA Division of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA SA) and the Council of the University of Adelaide.
All members are appointed by the Governor of South Australia for a term of up to 3 years. Members can be reappointed after this.
Board meetings are generally held every 6 weeks, with additional working groups and sub-committee meetings as needed.
Remuneration
Members are entitled to remuneration, allowances and expenses determined by the Governor:
- members are paid $206 per 4-hour meeting
- the presiding member is paid $258 per meeting and an annual retainer of $5050.
Members are not paid for their time spent on working groups or sub-committee, but they are entitled to other allowances and expenses.
Government employee members are not eligible for remuneration.
Appointing board members
PIRSA follows the requirements of the Act and government guidelines for all board appointments.
Call for nominations
The Minister can ask for nominations when there is an upcoming vacancy. This is advertised on the PIRSA website and communicated in these ways:
Veterinary surgeon (veterinarian) members nominated by the Minister – 3 members
- All SA veterinarians that have provided their email address to the Board are contacted about the vacancy and the nomination process. Contact is made by the Board, as PIRSA does not have access to veterinarian contact details.
- The board posts vacancy and nomination information on its website.
- The AVA SA shares the information with its members.
- Contact is made with key industry stakeholders who employ veterinarians, including the:
- University of Adelaide
- RSPCA SA
- Animal Welfare League of SA.
Veterinarian members nominated by prescribed organisations (AVA SA and the University of Adelaide) – 2 members
The Minister requests the submission of at least 3 nominees from both the AVA SA and University of Adelaide (including at least 1 man and 1 woman).
Non-veterinarian members nominated by the Minister – 3 members including the presiding member
- PIRSA contacts other organisations seeking nominations, such as:
- the RSPCA SA
- the Animal Welfare League of South Australia
- Livestock SA
- the South Australian Dairyfarmers’
- Horse SA.
These organisations are asked to actively distribute the call for nominations to their networks. At least 1 of the non-veterinary members must have experience or knowledge in animal health, safety and welfare.
- PIRSA consults BoardingCall, an online register of people interested in board membership. People with appropriate skills or expertise are encouraged to submit an application.
- If a call is made to fill the vacancy of the presiding member role, PIRSA will also email the Law Society of SA. This is because the presiding member must be a legal practitioner.
Selection process
A selection panel generally includes a senior PIRSA employee and one or more panellists with extensive board experience and knowledge of the veterinary profession.
Nominees are shortlisted for interview.
Candidates are assessed against predetermined selection criteria based on the requirements of the Act and the skills and experience necessary for the board. This includes technical knowledge of veterinarians and veterinary practice, as well as governance skills for a government regulatory setting, such as:
- financial management
- legislation
- strategic thinking
- risk management
- probity.
The Minister is provided a summary of suitable candidates following the interview process.
Appointment process
All appointments made by the Governor, including short-term appointments and reappointments, must first go to Cabinet for approval. Cabinet is the central decision-making body of the South Australian Government, composed of all Ministers and chaired by the Premier.
In the case of Veterinary Surgeons Board appointments, the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development must lodge a Cabinet submission recommending people for appointment.
If approved, the recommended appointees will be provided to the Governor to give legal effect to those appointments. Appointments are then published in the South Australian Government Gazette.
This is the same process for many other government boards and committees, including other professional registration bodies such as the Teachers Registration Board and the Architectural Practice Board. The recruitment and appointment process takes about 4 months.
