Veterinary workforce shortages

Supporting a strong veterinary workforce in New South Wales

The veterinary workforce plays a critical role in protecting animal health and welfare, supporting primary industries, safeguarding biosecurity, and ensuring communities across NSW can access timely and appropriate veterinary care.

Veterinarians, veterinary nurses, technologists, and veterinary premises are essential to the health of companion animals, livestock and wildlife, and to the resilience of the agricultural sector and regional communities.

Like other jurisdictions across Australia, NSW is experiencing significant veterinary workforce pressures, including workforce shortages, increasing demand for services, high levels of stress and burnout, and barriers to accessing care in regional and remote NSW.

Parliamentary inquiry into state-wide veterinary workforce shortages

In June 2024, the NSW Parliament conducted an inquiry into the veterinary workforce shortages, to examine the challenges facing the sector and identify opportunities for reform.

The Inquiry highlighted the complex and interrelated factors contributing to workforce shortages, including:

• workforce shortages and difficulties attracting and retaining veterinarians, particularly in regional and remote areas
• increasing levels of stress and burnout across the veterinary workforce
• limitations in current settings to support modern, team-based models of veterinary care
• lack of recognition and regulation of veterinary nurses in the workforce, and
• challenges accessing veterinary services, particularly outside metropolitan areas.

The NSW Government supported 33 of 34 of the Inquiry’s recommendations either in full or in principle, and is progressing coordinated reforms to strengthen, support and grow the veterinary workforce.

Delivering reform

Significant progress has already been made to implement the Inquiry’s recommendations, including targeted investments to support regional workforce attraction and retention, mental health initiatives, and education and training support.

Further work is underway to modernise the legislative framework, strengthen workforce capability, and ensure veterinary services remain accessible, contemporary and sustainable.

These reforms are centred on people, access and trust – supporting the workforce who deliver veterinary care, improving access to veterinary services for communities, and strengthening confidence in the delivery and regulation of veterinary care across NSW.

For further information on proposed improvements to the veterinary practice regulatory framework, click here.