• Protect the Public and Welfare of Animals
• Sit in on both Informal & Formal Hearings
• Limited Time Commitments Depending on Hearings

about the role

The Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria (the Veterinary Board) is a statutory authority responsible for regulating veterinary practitioners in Victoria. The Veterinary Board's primary objective is to protect the public and the health and welfare of animals through the administration of the Veterinary Practice Act 1997. The Board consists of nine members - four registered veterinary practitioners (small animal, equine and production animal experience highly regarded); one legal practitioner; two non-veterinarians with experience in finance and business management, legal practice or the use of veterinary services; one Victorian Government representative; and a University of Melbourne employed registered veterinary practitioner.

In addition to Board Members the Veterinary Board also requires up to 12 Approved Persons for Informal and Formal Hearings. As an Approved Person you would participate in hearings of complaints made against Veterinary practitioners. Persons approved on the recommendation of the Minister for Agriculture may be appointed by the President / Chairperson of the Veterinary Board to participate in informal and formal hearings. This may occur if the Veterinary Board is unable to appoint a panel because there are not enough members available to sit on it, or the Veterinary Board believes a person with special expertise is required for the hearing.

Informal Hearings are more common with 15 conducted in 2020-21 and typically last 1-2 hours and require preparation and drafting of reasons. Formal Hearings are less common with three conducted in 2020-21, however they can run for 1-2 days and require more thorough preparation and drafting of reasons. The amount of time required for this work varies considerably depending on the complexity of the case.

The current rates of remuneration for Approved Persons is $322 per sitting day, with no additional payment made for reading and preparation time. Members may also be eligible for reimbursement for reasonable out of pocket expenses such as travelling, accommodation, meals and other incidental expenses associated with attendance at meetings. Rates of payment are consistent with those that apply to employees of the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions.

For Approved Persons, proven tribunals, hearings or complaints investigations experience would be advantageous. Candidates applying for Non-Executive Director roles may also be considered for Approved Persons roles.

To be considered for the Informal and Formal Hearing Panel Members registered veterinary practitioners will require at least five years of experience. The Veterinary Board receives complaints across all types of veterinary practice, with more complaints against small animal practitioners than others, so recent small animal experience would be valuable. There is also a need for the membership of the Panel Members to include veterinary members with experience in other areas (e.g. production animal and equine practice).

We are seeking Legal practitioners with experience in administrative law and at least five years of post-admission experience.

Non-veterinary applicants (i.e. community members) should have experience in finance and business management, accounting, legal practice or the use of veterinary services.

The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that government boards and committees reflect the rich diversity of the Victorian community, and equal representation of women on government boards. Women now make up more than 50 per cent of new appointments to paid boards.

how to apply

To submit your application click Apply Now.

We encourage applications from people of all ages, Aboriginal people, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and from l LGBTIQ+ people. We will provide adjustments to the recruitment process upon request.

For a copy of the position description (Success Profile), please download (copy and paste) https://bit.ly/3o6B4ZN or to apply, please upload your CV. For any questions not outlined in the Success Profile, please contact Natasha Diamond on 0412 822 348 or Jarrod McLauchlan on 0407 808 517.