Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

This year marks the 250th anniversary of veterinary education in the world. It has also been designated World Veterinary Year to honour the contribution of the veterinary profession to society. The first veterinary school was established in Lyon, France, in 1761, which was shortly followed by the Alfort Veterinary School, near Paris. Both of these institutions were the initiative of French veterinarian Claude Bourgelat. He collaborated with surgeons in Lyon and was the first scientist to suggest that studying animal biology and pathology would help to improve our understanding of human biology and pathology. If he had never worked this link out, modern human medicine may have been delayed for some time. We can thank him for his contribution not only to veterinary science but also to medical science.

In 1909 an act of the Victorian parliament enabled the establishment of the veterinary school and Veterinary Research Institute at the University of Melbourne thus creating the first university veterinary school in Australia. The first Bachelor of Veterinary Science degrees were awarded that same year. More than 2,000 graduates have passed through this school including Margaret Keats MBE, Victoria’s first woman to graduate with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree in 1923. Former students have entered every realm of veterinary science, whether treating pets in private practice; monitoring and regulating industries such as horse racing; and tackling disease. All these roles make a significant contribution to Australia’s agricultural industry.

Schools of veterinary medicine are now established around Australia, including in my electorate of Riverina. Indeed, in Wagga Wagga the Kay Hull Veterinary Teaching Hospital opened in April 2010. It was named after my predecessor, who, like me, was a strong advocate for further education to be available in regional Australia so students are not forced to move to metropolitan areas for their education. This hospital, based in Wagga Wagga, is part of the Charles Sturt University and has been acknowledged as a first-class teaching and clinical facility. This is a purpose-built teaching hospital and is used by students in their final three years of study and provides valuable clinical experience under the direct supervision of CSU veterinarians. These graduates will more than meet the diverse demands placed upon veterinarians in rural and regional Australia.

Veterinarians practice and promote the highest standards of science based ethical animal welfare with all animals large and small, domestic and exotic. They are on the front line, maintaining Australia’s status as free from diseases which threaten the environment, human and animal health and provide extensive pro bono services through ethical treatment of unowned animals and wildlife. The role of vets has been no more important than during the equine influenza epidemic of 2007-08 which threatened the viability of the horse racing industry—particularly thoroughbreds and particularly in regional Australia. It is veterinarians who ensure the high quality of our commercial herds and flocks, of our food supply, and who work in preventative medicine to control zoonotic diseases—infectious diseases which can be transmitted from animal to animal or animal to human—and other scientific research.

Some Australian veterinarians who have gained great achievements and made significant contributions to our country and our world include the following. Dr Peter Doherty was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 and was Australian of the Year in 1997. His research focuses on the immune system and his Nobel work described how the body’s immune cells protect against viruses; Professor Mary Barton is a leading veterinarian bacteriologist with a distinguished career in government and veterinary public health with a strong research background in bacterial infections of animals and in antibiotic resistance in animal and human health. She is currently a professor of microbiology at the University of South Australia. Dr Reg Pascoe is a renowned equine surgeon and dermatologist and leader in his profession for more than 50 years. When the contagious equine metritis outbreak erupted in 1977, Dr Pascoe acted as consultant to the federal government with one of the recommendations being the need for improved communication within the horse industry. This led to the formation of the Australian Horse Council in 1982, where he remained as acting secretary and acting chairman for many years.

Many people view veterinarians as only animal doctors and animal welfare advocates but this is not the case. They are also key public health stakeholders because of their crucial role in promoting food security by supervising animal production hygiene, controlling infectious diseases which can be transmitted from animals to other animals or to humans, monitoring food quality and safety, protecting the environment and partaking in biomedical research. I thank veterinarians—very special people—for all the valuable and diverse roles they perform in Australian communities, particularly in regional communities, and celebrate with them their past and continuing contribution as true professionals.

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