Interpretation

In force

(1)

In this Act—

Board means the Veterinary Services Regulatory Board of South Australia (see Part 2);

Chief Executive means the Chief Executive of the administrative unit of the Public Service that is responsible for assisting a Minister in the administration of this Act;

corresponding law means a law of another jurisdiction recognised by the regulations as a corresponding law under this Act;

corresponding specialty, in relation to a specialty, means—

(a)

a specialty under a corresponding law of the same name as the specialty; or

(b)

a specialty under a corresponding law declared by the Board, by notice in the Gazette, to correspond to the specialty;

deemed registration means registration under Part 3Division 3;

Executive Officer means the person holding or acting in the office of Executive Officer of the Board;

general register—see section 27;

health professional means—

(a)

a person who is registered in this State as a medical practitioner; or

(b)

a person who is registered in this State as a psychologist; or

(c)

any other person who belongs to a profession, or who has an occupation, declared by the Board, by notice in the Gazette, to be a profession or occupation within the ambit of this definition;

inspector means a person authorised by the Board to perform the functions of an inspector under this Act;

interstate registration authority means a person or body having the function of the registration of persons providing veterinary services under a corresponding law;

jurisdiction means—

(a)

a State; or

(b)

a Territory; or

(c)

an overseas jurisdiction brought within the ambit of this definition by the regulations;

legal practitioner means a person admitted and enrolled as a practitioner of the Supreme Court of South Australia;

participating jurisdiction means this State or a jurisdiction in which a corresponding law is in force;

primary registration means registration under Part 3Division 2;

registered premises means premises registered under Part 4;

repealed Act means the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1985 or the Veterinary Practice Act 2003;

responsible person in respect of registered premises—see section 41;

specialist means a person registered on the specialist register;

specialist register—see section 27;

specialty means a branch of veterinary practice declared by the Board, by notice in the Gazette, to be a specialty;

Tribunal means the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal established under the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013;

unprofessional conduct includes—

(a)

improper or unethical conduct in relation to professional practice; and

(b)

incompetence or negligence in relation to the provision of veterinary services; and

(c)

a contravention of—

(i)

a provision of this Act; or

(ii)

a code of conduct or professional standards prepared or endorsed by the Board under this Act; and

(d)

conduct that constitutes an offence punishable by imprisonment for 1 year or more under this or any other Act or law; and

(e)

conduct that constitutes an offence prescribed by the regulations;

veterinarian means—

(a)

a person with primary registration; or

(b)

a person with deemed registration who provides veterinary services or engages in other conduct as a veterinarian in this State;

veterinary premises register—see section 39;

veterinary premises standard means the veterinary premises standard prepared or endorsed under section 40, as in force from time to time;

veterinary service means a service which forms part of the practice of veterinary surgery or veterinary medicine and includes—

(a)

the diagnosis of a disease or physiological condition in, or an injury to, an animal; and

(b)

the medical treatment of an animal; and

(c)

the administration of an anaesthetic to an animal; and

(d)

the performance of an invasive or surgical procedure on an animal; and

(e)

the castration or spaying of an animal; and

(f)

the performance of a dental procedure on an animal; and

(g)

any other act or activity of a kind prescribed by the regulations to be a veterinary service, but does not include anything excluded from the ambit of this definition by the regulations.

(2)

A reference in this Act to premises will be taken to include a reference to a mobile hospital or clinic (whether a vehicle, demountable building or otherwise) in which it is intended that veterinary services will be provided (including the performance of invasive or surgical procedures on animals).

(3)

A reference in this Act to unprofessional conduct extends to—

(a)

unprofessional conduct committed before the commencement of this Act; and

(b)

unprofessional conduct committed within or outside South Australia or the Commonwealth.

(4)

For the purposes of this Act, a reference to disqualification from registration under a corresponding law is a reference to any form of prohibition from general or specialist registration or registration in a corresponding specialty under the corresponding law.

(5)

For the purposes of this Act, a reference to being registered on the specialist register will, in the case of a veterinarian registered in more than 1 specialty, be taken to be a reference to the registration of each such specialty.

Regulations

This provision refers to the regulations (the regulations, prescribed by the regulations). Made under this Act:

Veterinary Services Regulations 2025

This Act’s bill:Second reading speech

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3 Interpretation