Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 8:14:40 to 8:20:52
Officials explain the varying levels of support provided to private veterinarians, wildlife carers, and local councils across different jurisdictions during the H5 bird flu response.
Topics: Biosecurity, Animal welfare
Speakers: Dr Beth Cookson, Senator Paul Scarr, Christie Sawczuk, Miss Victoria Anderson, Justine Saunders
>> How much of that money is going to support private vets who are actually treating wildlife? >> I can put it another way. What support is being provided to vets in private practice who are responding with respect to wildlife?
>> That support is being provided in a nuanced way by jurisdiction. The arrangements are quite different state by state
>> in a nuanced way.
>> Well, in terms of every state has different arrangements in place and the degree of support whether it be state or local government does vary.
>> So what's the can we walk through what the strongest support given by a state is compared to the weakest? I couldn't
comment on what each individual state is doing in relation with vets.
>> Can anyone at the table give me any indication as to what support states are providing vets?
>> Yes. So, um, Senator, there's been a range of, um, engagements with private veterinarians as part of the preparedness as well as during the response, um, acknowledging that many of those, um, practices are involved in either, uh, treating, um, aven species, um, or involved in the care of wildlife. um that's included um publishing um guidelines for um considerations that private vet practices might take into account um given the change in um the animal health status of um some of our wildlife in Australia. Um there's also been a range of um webinars uh provided to help inform um and engage with private veterinarians um about um their management of um wildlife if that is part of their practice. Um and that's been conducted through the state and territory jurisdictions. It's also been um facilitated through the Australian Veterary Association and and other um organizations. Um when it comes to the specific supports the some of the jurisdictions have engaged um with the private vet clinics in different ways. Um I'm aware in some jurisdictions um for example that um limited um um personal protective [clears throat] equipment for example to help um minimize human health might be sort of part of um their upskilling and engagement with um private vets in some jurisdictions. um private veterinarians are supporting um triaging cases and taking samples and and some jurisdictions have got um arrangements in place with those practices for the work that they take but it's not consistent across the country. It is very much up to the local circumstances and the local response arrangements led by the state and territory jurist.
>> Okay. Could you take that on notice and perhaps provide us with the table of um the different supports that are provided by each state and territory on the basis of the information you have?
>> Senator will certainly ask our state colleagues and provide what they're prepared to provide to us.
>> Okay. Um so the next area I was going to ask is what supports being given to council's wildlife carers and volunteer groups who are responding on the grounds and are providing useful services and
information. Senator, it might be useful. I I think usually when we have direct control over the money, you we would have a direct line of exactly how it's being spent, but under the cost sharing arrangements, and please correct me if I'm wrong, colleagues, but we we have an agreed set of things that can be funded and then sort of receded against under the under the um I guess supervision of the chief vets in the case of the ADRA. Uh and I think um Justine, what's your group called? National Management Group in terms of the H5 HPA. So I I guess we're not trying to be unhelpful. It's just there's a whole system that sort of kicks in here and then people submit and use the funding against the allowable sort of items. So it may be helpful if we let you know what is allowable expenditure under those agreements so you can know the sorts of things the states and territories can be claiming against. But up to you. But
>> do you have that information now?
>> Maybe I volunteered you for something you don't have in hand. But it I'm I'm having a I'm having a great run tonight. Yeah. Sorry. It is it is it is
quite the terms got it the terms are
>> Thanks secretary. [laughter]
>> So um particularly under the national management agreement um so as um the secretary just outlined each of the jurisdictions come up with a response plan to cover um efforts looking at protecting um priority vulnerable species >> and also some um activities around sort of transition to management um for sort of managing H5 impacts in wildlife. So practically that could mean um some surveillance and technical assistance um priority and preparedness measures at wildlife facilities, site and species response planning um emergency conservation action for those priority vulnerable species, carcass management, uh education and awareness. Um again depending on which jurisdiction that could be for local governments and local councils. um as well as some um capacity training and also some broader environmental um education and awareness particularly with First Nations communities. So again it's dependent on the jurisdiction and the and the activities they prioritize.
>> So just picking up just adding to Christie's comments that so the conditions upon which the funding can be used allocated but then the proportion of that funding by jurisdiction will vary and they will determine based on their own priorities how they want to invest that. noting that relationships between some the sector that you've been referring to the nature of those relationships does differ in each jurisdiction.
>> Okay. All right. Well, gee, the kettle's going off. J um if you could um take on notice if you can provide any further information to give us a bit more uh information regarding who's who's paying for what at the moment to the extent you know. Uh that would be helpful. Um can you give us an update just with respect to current status of H5 events as we're