Veterinary Surgeons Act Review

Overview

The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936 regulates the practice of veterinary science in Queensland and helps protect animal welfare, public confidence, biosecurity, and the delivery of veterinary services.

The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is reviewing the Veterinary Surgeons Act to ensure it remains contemporary, fit-for-purpose, and supports the efficient and effective delivery of veterinary services while minimising unnecessary regulatory burden.

Consultation on the Veterinary Surgeons Act Consultation Impact Analysis Statement opens on 28 July 2026 and closes on 7 September 2026. During this six-week consultation period, stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on proposed options to modernise Queensland's veterinary regulatory framework.

The review considers potential reforms across 6 key areas:

veterinary science and acts of veterinary science
registration
veterinary premises and practices
veterinary paraprofessionals
compliance and enforcement
governance of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland.

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this consultation. Your feedback will help inform the future regulation of veterinary science in Queensland and support better outcomes for animal welfare, veterinary services, biosecurity and the community.

About the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936

The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936 is the primary legislation regulating the practice of veterinary science in Queensland. It establishes who can practise veterinary science, the registration requirements for veterinary surgeons and specialists, the role of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland, and the framework for regulating veterinary premises and managing complaints and disciplinary matters.

The Act helps protect animal welfare, supports public confidence in veterinary services, and contributes to broader outcomes including biosecurity, public health and the effective delivery of veterinary services across Queensland. The current review is considering whether the Act remains fit-for-purpose and how it could be modernised to better reflect contemporary veterinary practice, workforce arrangements and service delivery models.

Consultation Survey

Veterinary Surgeons Act Review Consultation Survey

The Department of Primary Industries is seeking stakeholder feedback as part of the review of the the Veterinary Surgeons Act.

The Veterinary Surgeons Act affects a range of stakeholders, including the veterinary industry (including professionals and paraprofessionals), animal and livestock industries, pet owners, and the general community. DPI values the input of all stakeholders, which will be used to inform what Queensland’s veterinary legislative framework looks like in the future.

The consultation period will begin on 28 July 2026 and will be open for a period of 6 weeks. Consultation will close on 7 September 2026.

Survey Instructions

Before completing this survey, please read the consultation impact analysis statement, which outlines the proposed reforms and provides important background information to support your responses. The consultation paper can be downloaded here or via the Document Library on this page.

Please note that this is an extensive survey covering a broad range of issues. You do not need to respond to every question or section. All feedback is valuable and will be considered as part of the review.

The question numbers referenced throughout the Consultation Impact Analysis Statement correspond directly with the question numbers in this survey. This allows you to easily navigate to the survey questions that relate to the topics or issues you are most interested in providing feedback on.

Some questions are mandatory, including demographic information and conditional follow-up questions. Where a response indicates disagreement or concern, you may be required to provide supporting comments or further details to assist in the evaluation of feedback.

You can save your responses while completing the survey by registering on the site and logging in before beginning. This will prevent loss of responses should your browser time out or if you have other technical issues.

Privacy

This information is being collected for the purpose of obtaining feedback on the proposed amendments to the Veterinary Surgeons Act, and may be used to follow up or clarify information you provide. The information may be grouped with other feedback and published at the conclusion of the review as part of the Decision Impact Analysis Statement.

Your personal information will not be disclosed to any other parties unless authorised or required by law.

The Queensland Government manages personal information in line with the Information Privacy Act 2009. More information can be found on https://dpi.engagementhub.com.au/privacy-policy.

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Document Library

Review documents

Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936 Consultation Impact Analysis Statement

Key Links

Frequently Asked Questions

The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936 has not undergone comprehensive modernisation for many decades. Since it was introduced, veterinary science, technology, workforce models and community expectations have changed significantly.

The review is examining whether the current legislation remains fit for purpose and whether there are opportunities to improve animal welfare, client protection, workforce utilisation, service availability and regulatory efficiency.

This consultation is focused on the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936. The Act establishes the overall regulatory framework for veterinary science in Queensland.

Some proposed changes to the Act may require consequential amendments to the Veterinary Surgeons Regulation 2016 to support the operation of any reforms. If updates to the Regulation are required, stakeholders will be consulted on those changes as part of the regulatory development process.

A Consultation Impact Analysis Statement is a document used by the Queensland Government to explain a regulatory problem, outline potential options for reform and seek stakeholder feedback before decisions are made.

The C-IAS does not represent a final government decision. It is intended to support consultation and help stakeholders understand the proposed reform options and their potential impacts.

The review considers reforms across 6 key topics:

Veterinary science and acts of veterinary science
Registration
Veterinary premises and practices
Veterinary paraprofessionals
Compliance and enforcement
Governance of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland

For each topic, 3 options have been assessed ranging from maintaining the status quo through to more comprehensive reform.

No. The executive summary provides a high-level overview of the review and the proposed options. Stakeholders can focus on the sections that are most relevant to their interests, experience or business.

You can provide feedback by:

Completing the online survey on this website
Emailing a written submission to vsareview@dpi.qld.gov.au
Posting a written submission to:

Veterinary Surgeons Act Review
Department of Primary Industries
GPO Box 46
Brisbane QLD 4001

You may also contact DPI on 13 25 23 for further information.

No. This survey covers a broad range of issues and you are not expected to answer every question or section. You are welcome to provide feedback on any question or topic, whether you respond to a single question, selected sections, or the entire survey. All feedback is valuable and will be considered as part of the review of the Veterinary Surgeons Act.

Following consultation, all submissions and feedback will be reviewed and considered by the DPI. Feedback will be used to inform the Decision Impact Analysis Statement and any proposed legislative reforms.

The DPI understands that individuals and businesses may need time to adapt to any new regulatory requirements. If reforms proceed, appropriate transitional arrangements would be considered to support implementation and minimise unnecessary disruption. Any proposed implementation and transition arrangements would be communicated well in advance of commencement.

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Contact Us

For more information about the review, contact 13 25 23 or email VSAreview@dpi.qld.gov.au.

Submission

If you would like to provide a detailed written submission, please use the fields below. Written submissions are encouraged and will be considered alongside survey responses as part of the review of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936.

Department of Primary Industries