Government policy and objectives

I expect you to continue to protect the public and support the maintenance of veterinary practice standards in Victoria through registration of, and investigation of the professional conduct and fitness to practise of, veterinary practitioners.

The Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria (the Board) will continue to protect the public and support the maintenance of veterinary practice standards in Victoria through registration of, and investigation of the professional conduct and fitness to practise of, veterinary practitioners. It will facilitate the establishment of competency in veterinary practise by:

• Registering persons who comply with the Act;
• Recognising qualifications and accrediting courses of training which provide qualifications for registration;
• Issuing guidelines about appropriate standards of veterinary practise and veterinary facilities; and
• Conducting investigations into professional conduct and fitness to practise.

In discharging your statutory duties I also expect you to continue to apply the minimum level of regulatory intervention necessary to meet your obligations under the Act and encourage you to continue to look for opportunities to reduce regulatory burden.

The Board will continue to seek to minimise regulatory burden, and identify opportunities to reduce regulatory burden, through:

• National recognition of veterinary registration;
• Allowing registrants to renew electronically and update records on line;
• Providing public access through the Board’s website to information on how to make complaints and tools to simplify complaints reducing administration costs, and access to standards of practice and other relevant information on-line;
• Implementing service standards which minimise delay costs to the public and veterinary practitioners;
• Undertaking an electronic approach to administration leading to lower operational cost and hence keeping registration fees to a minimum.

Stakeholder relationships and engagement

I recognise the importance of your stakeholders, including the veterinary profession, universities, primary producers, the Victorian public, the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council Inc (AVBC), the Australian Veterinary Association Ltd (AVA) and State and Commonwealth agencies. I expect that you will continue to work constructively with these stakeholders whilst fulfilling your obligations under the Act in an independent, transparent and consistent manner.

I also expect that the Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria and my department will continue to work closely together.

The Board will continue to work constructively with our stakeholders, including the veterinary profession, universities, primary producers, the Victorian public, the AVBC, the AVA and State and Commonwealth agencies and Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

We acknowledge the importance of effective communications and will continue to keep the Minister apprised of existing and emerging issues.

I expect you to keep me advised of existing and emerging issues. I acknowledge the mutual benefit of regular exchange of information and views related to the discharge of your regulatory role.

Coordination of regulatory activities

The Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria participates in the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council Incorporated and cooperates with relevant State and Commonwealth agencies as it discharges its regulatory functions. Through this participation and cooperation, I expect the Board to continue to promote good regulatory practice, reduce duplication and foster consistent outcomes for the veterinary profession and the Victorian public.

The Board will continue to participate in the AVBC and its sub committees.

The Board will also continue to cooperate with relevant State and Commonwealth agencies as it discharges its regulatory functions.

Transparency and Accountability

I recognise the strength of the corporate governance arrangements that you have in place, including a robust, transparent and accountable system of reporting directly to Parliament through your annual report. To this end, I expect that this Statement of Expectations will be incorporated into your ongoing corporate planning processes and that key output and outcome performance indicators are published in your annual report.

The Board will ensure these expectations are incorporated into its ongoing planning and operational processes.

The Board will continue to publicly report performance in a transparent manner, including reporting against key performance indicators, in its annual report.