Wednesday 11th November 2026
National veterinary leaders have endorsed a proposal for the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) to become the national standards-setting body for veterinary nurses and technologists, with regulation continuing to be delivered at the state and territory level. The proposal emerged from a national workshop held on 15 October 2026 and will be referred to the AVBC Board and the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia (VNCA) for consideration.
The workshop was convened by the Regulation of Veterinary Nurses and Technologists Working Party (RVNTWP) in Melbourne. The Working Party is a joint initiative of AVBC and the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia (VNCA).
Workshop participants supported a national approach under which AVBC would be responsible for establishing and maintaining standards for veterinary nurses and technologists, including course accreditation and assessment of entry to practice. Registration and regulation would remain the responsibility of individual states and territories.
Working Party Chair Jane Bindloss said the proposed approach would provide governments with a clear, consistent framework to support legislative reform.
“Veterinary nurses and technologists are a skilled, essential part of animal care, yet in most of Australia anyone can use the title,” Ms Bindloss said.
“At the workshop, we reached agreement on a proposed approach to national standards-setting and established a shared vision for what success could look like by 2028. With New South Wales now moving towards regulation of veterinary nurses and technologists, our priority is to progress the national standards framework ahead of the introduction of the NSW scheme.”
The NSW Veterinary Services Bill 2026, introduced to Parliament in September, includes regulation of veterinary nurses and technologists. Queensland is also reviewing its veterinary legislation. Western Australia has registered veterinary nurses since 1979.
The Working Party also agreed priority actions across its four strategic pillars:
- achieving statutory regulation
- strengthening voluntary registration
- employer and practice engagement
- public awareness and stakeholder confidence.
The Working Party’s ambition is to see at least two Australian states regulating veterinary nurses and technologists, supported by an operational national standards-setting body, by 2028.
“This builds on decades of work by the profession,” Ms Bindloss said. “We now have a clear pathway, and we look forward to working with governments, employers and the profession to deliver it.”
The Working Party’s recommendations will now be presented to the AVBC Board and VNCA for consideration, including the proposed role of AVBC as the national standards-setting body and the arrangements required to support its implementation.
RVNTWP members and guests at the Melbourne workshop, 15 October 2026.
From left: Kate Simkovic, Tony Leeflang, Jasmine Pengelly, Patricia Clarke, Jane Bindloss, Susan Keane, Asha Yeoman, Jessica Hill, Jo Hatcher, Graham Pratt, Tim Adams
Working Party: Jane Bindloss (Chair), Susan Keane, Graham Pratt, Patricia Clarke, Jasmine Pengelly, Jennifer Hamlin, Esther Callcott and Sue Godkin.
Invited guests: Kate Simkovic, CEO Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC), Asha Yeoman, President Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia (VNCA), Jess Hill, Vice-President VNCA, Jo Hatcher, Tony Leeflang and Tim Adams.
About the RVNTWP
The Regulation of Veterinary Nurses and Technologists Working Party is a collaborative initiative of the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) and the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia (VNCA). It works to advance statutory regulation of veterinary nurses and technologists across Australian jurisdictions, protecting animal welfare, public health and consumer confidence.