{"id":"veterinary-services-regulations-2025","name":"Veterinary Services Regulations 2025","slug":"veterinary-services-regulations-2025","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":238088,"registerId":"sa-veterinary-services-regulations-2025-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-06","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Veterinary Services Regulations 2025","content":"South Australia\nVeterinary Services Regulations 2025\nunder the Veterinary Services Act 2023\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n2\tCommencement\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tRecognition of corresponding laws\n5\tMeaning of veterinary service\n6\tPrescribed peak body\n7\tGovernance training\n8\tDelegations—prescribed functions\n9\tExemptions relating to persons registered in New Zealand\n10\tRecognition of registration under corresponding laws\n11\tResponsible person in respect of registered premises\n12\tExemptions for provision of veterinary services by persons other than veterinarians\n13\tComplaints that may be dealt with under Part 7 Division 3 of Act\n14\tAdmission or denial of allegations\n15\tTransitional provisions—registration of premises\nLegislative history\n\n1—Short title\nThese regulations may be cited as the Veterinary Services Regulations 2025.\n2—Commencement\nThese regulations come into operation on the day on which section 3 of the Veterinary Services Act 2023 comes into operation.\n3—Interpretation\nIn these regulations—\nAct means the Veterinary Services Act 2023.\n4—Recognition of corresponding laws\nPursuant to the definition of corresponding law in section 3(1) of the Act, each of the following is recognised as a corresponding law under the Act:\n\t(a)\tthe Veterinary Practice Act 2018 of the Australian Capital Territory;\n\t(b)\tthe Veterinary Practice Act 2003 of New South Wales;\n\t(c)\tthe Veterinarians Act 1994 of the Northern Territory;\n\t(d)\tthe Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936 of Queensland;\n\t(e)\tthe Veterinary Surgeons Act 1987 of Tasmania;\n\t(f)\tthe Veterinary Practice Act 1997 of Victoria;\n\t(g)\tthe Veterinary Practice Act 2021 of Western Australia.\n5—Meaning of veterinary service\nThe following are excluded from the ambit of the definition of veterinary service in section 3(1) of the Act:\n\t(a)\tthe deworming of an animal other than by intranasal oesophageal tube;\n\t(b)\tthe performance of the Mules operation on sheep;\n\t(c)\tthe dehorning of cattle, sheep or goats if the animal is less than—\n\t(i)\tin the case of cattle where the dehorning is performed at the time of first yarding—12 months of age; or\n\t(ii)\tin any other case—6 months of age;\n\t(d)\tthe castration of cattle, sheep, pigs or goats if the animal is less than—\n\t(i)\tin the case of cattle where the castration is performed at the time of first yarding—12 months of age; or\n\t(ii)\tin the case of pigs—21 days of age; or\n\t(iii)\tin any other case—6 months of age;\n\t(e)\tthe tail docking of lambs that are less than 6 months of age;\n\t(f)\tthe treatment of an animal for ectoparasites;\n\t(g)\tthe treatment of footrot in sheep or goats by foot‑paring or foot‑bathing;\n\t(h)\tthe vaccination of livestock;\n\t(i)\tfarriery or hoof trimming that does not involve entry into or beyond sensitive hoof structures, and the assessment of an animal for that purpose;\n\t(j)\tthe desnooding, despurring, dubbing, beak trimming, beak treatment or toe trimming of day‑old poultry chicks;\n\t(k)\tthe artificial insemination of cattle or pigs (other than surgical artificial insemination);\n\t(l)\tthe diagnosis of pregnancy of an animal by external ultrasound or by testing of blood or milk (other than the diagnosis of pregnancy of a horse by ultrasound);\n\t(m)\tthe diagnosis of pregnancy of cattle by rectal ultrasound or rectal examination;\n\t(n)\trasping the teeth, or removing a loose tooth or deciduous tooth cap, of a horse using manual instruments;\n\t(o)\tthe assessment of an animal in relation to—\n\t(i)\tnon‑invasive manual physical therapy of the animal; or\n\t(ii)\tthe use of a therapeutic device on the animal in the course of non‑invasive physical therapy of the animal (other than extracorporeal shock wave therapy);\n\t(p)\tthe performance of a faecal egg count.\n6—Prescribed peak body\nFor the purposes of sections 6(3) and 14(4)(a) of the Act, the South Australian Division of the Australian Veterinary Association is a prescribed peak body representing the veterinary profession in the State.\n7—Governance training\n\t(1)\tFor the purposes of section 12 of the Act, a member of the Board must complete such training related to corporate governance as is determined by the Board and approved by the Minister.\n\t(2)\tThe Board must keep records of the corporate governance training completed by Board members.\n8—Delegations—prescribed functions\nFor the purposes of section 17(1) of the Act, the following functions are prescribed:\n\t(a)\thearing and determining proceedings regarding medical fitness under Part 6 of the Act;\n\t(b)\tdetermining applications for registration on the general register or the specialist register under section 28 of the Act;\n\t(c)\tendorsing codes of conduct, professional standards and guidelines for the purposes of the Act;\n\t(d)\tendorsing the veterinary premises standard under section 40 of the Act.\n9—Exemptions relating to persons registered in New Zealand\nA person—\n\t(a)\twho holds registration in New Zealand equivalent to general or specialist registration under the Act; and\n\t(b)\twho is registered, or has applied for registration, on the general or specialist register under the Act in accordance with the Trans‑Tasman mutual recognition principle as applying to occupations as set out in Part 3 of the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 of the Commonwealth; and\n\t(c)\twhose principal place of residence is not in this State,\nis exempt from the operation of sections 28(4)(c) and 32(2)(b) of the Act.\n10—Recognition of registration under corresponding laws\n\t(1)\tFor the purposes of section 33(4) of the Act, the following forms of authorisation under corresponding laws are recognised as corresponding to registration on the specialist register under the Act:\n\nCorresponding law\nForm of authorisation\nVeterinary Practice Act 2018 of the Australian Capital Territory\nRegistration as a veterinary practitioner with specialist registration\nVeterinary Practice Act 2003 of New South Wales\nSpecialist registration in a branch of veterinary science\nVeterinarians Act 1994 of the Northern Territory\nRegistration as a veterinary specialist in a branch of veterinary surgery or medicine, including interim registration\nVeterinary Surgeons Act 1936 of Queensland\nRegistration as a veterinary specialist with respect to a veterinary speciality\nVeterinary Surgeons Act 1987 of Tasmania\nRegistration as a veterinary specialist\nVeterinary Practice Act 1997 of Victoria\nEndorsement as a specialist practitioner (being endorsement of general registration as a veterinary practitioner to the effect that the veterinary practitioner is qualified to practise as a veterinary specialist in a branch of veterinary surgery or medicine)\nVeterinary Practice Act 2021 of Western Australia\nSpecialist registration as a WA veterinarian in a particular speciality\n\t(2)\tIn this regulation, words used in a description of a form of authorisation under a corresponding law have the meanings assigned by that law.\n11—Responsible person in respect of registered premises\nFor the purposes of section 41(2)(b) of the Act, the individual nominated by an entity as the responsible person in respect of registered premises owned or occupied by the entity must be a veterinarian with primary registration whose principal place of residence is in this State.\n12—Exemptions for provision of veterinary services by persons other than veterinarians\n\t(1)\tPursuant to section 49(2)(b) of the Act, section 49(1) does not apply in relation to the provision of veterinary services in the following circumstances:\n\t(a)\tthe provision of veterinary services by an inspector appointed under the Livestock Act 1997 in the course of the inspector's duties;\n\t(b)\tthe provision of veterinary services by a person pursuant to a licence under the Animal Welfare Act 1985;\n\t(c)\tthe provision of veterinary services by a medical practitioner, dentist, physiotherapist or chiropractor under the supervision of a veterinarian;\n\t(d)\tthe provision of veterinary services, under the supervision of a veterinarian, by a person who is undertaking a course of instruction to obtain a qualification approved or recognised by the Board for the purposes of registration under the Act;\n\t(e)\tthe administration of an anaesthetic, drug or vaccine to an animal by a person in accordance with the directions of a veterinarian;\n\t(f)\tthe dubbing or toe trimming of poultry, other than day‑old poultry chicks, in accordance with the directions of a veterinarian;\n\t(g)\t—\n\t(i)\tthe scaling and polishing of the teeth of an animal; or\n\t(ii)\tthe administration of a substance to an animal (where such an act constitutes a veterinary service); or\n\t(iii)\tthe performance of a temperature, pulse or respiration test on an animal (where such an act constitutes a veterinary service); or\n\t(iv)\tthe collection of blood samples from an animal; or\n\t(v)\tthe insertion of an intravenous catheter into an animal; or\n\t(vi)\twound care (including the dressing and bandaging of wounds) provided to an animal,\nunder the supervision of a veterinarian, by a person in the ordinary course of their employment or as a part of practical training undertaken for the purposes of an educational or vocational course.\n\t(2)\tA veterinarian providing supervision for the purposes of subregulation (1) must comply with any requirements relating to such supervision set out in a code of conduct or professional standard prepared or endorsed by the Board under the Act.\n13—Complaints that may be dealt with under Part 7 Division 3 of Act\nPursuant to section 73(a) of the Act—\n\t(a)\tcomplaints relating to the following kinds of unprofessional conduct may be the subject of a determination by the Board under section 72:\n\t(i)\tconduct that, if repeated or continued, is likely to—\n\t(A)\tcause unnecessary suffering to an animal; or\n\t(B)\tcause the inappropriate death of an animal; or\n\t(C)\tadversely affect the safety or health of any person; or\n\t(D)\tdamage the international reputation of Australia in relation to animal exports, animal welfare, animal produce or sporting events;\n\t(ii)\ta contravention of—\n\t(A)\ta provision of the Act or these regulations; or\n\t(B)\ta code of conduct or professional standards prepared or endorsed by the Board under the Act; or\n\t(C)\ta condition of a veterinarian's registration under the Act;\n\t(iii)\tproviding information relating to veterinarian qualifications for registration knowing that the information is false or misleading in a material particular;\n\t(iv)\ta failure by a veterinarian to adequately supervise a person in the provision of veterinary services where the supervision is required by law and the veterinarian agreed to provide that supervision;\n\t(v)\tconduct that demonstrates—\n\t(A)\tincompetence in relation to the provision of veterinary services; or\n\t(B)\ta lack of adequate knowledge, skill, judgement or care in relation to the provision of veterinary services; and\n\t(b)\ta complaint that is not a complaint of a kind referred to in paragraph (a) may not be the subject of a determination by the Board under section 72.\n14—Admission or denial of allegations\nFor the purposes of section 74(3)(b) of the Act—\n\t(a)\tthe Board must allow a veterinarian at least 21 days to admit or deny an allegation; and\n\t(b)\tany admission or denial must be made in writing.\n15—Transitional provisions—registration of premises\n\t(1)\tThis regulation does not apply in relation to a facility with accreditation as a veterinary hospital under section 53 of the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 in force immediately before the commencement of Schedule 1 clause 47 of the Act.\n\t(2)\tThe following provisions apply in respect of premises that are being used for the provision of veterinary services on 1 July 2026 (existing premises):\n\t(a)\texisting premises are not required to be registered on the veterinary premises register until the day, within the transitional period, appointed by the Board by notice in the Gazette (the registration day) (and the Board may appoint different registration days for different classes of premises);\n\t(b)\tan application for registration of existing premises on the veterinary premises register must be made to the Board by the day appointed by the Board by notice in the Gazette (the application day) (and the Board may appoint different application days for different classes of premises);\n\t(c)\tthe Board may, during the transitional period, register existing premises on the veterinary premises register without being satisfied that the premises meet the minimum requirements in the veterinary premises standard, and, in such a case, may impose conditions on the registration (including a condition requiring compliance with specified requirements within a specified period (which must not extend beyond 6 months after the end of the transitional period));\n\t(d)\tsections 50 and 51 of the Act do not apply in relation to the provision of veterinary services, or the carrying on of a business consisting of, or including, the provision of veterinary services, at existing premises before the registration day for the relevant class of premises.\n\t(3)\tThe following provisions apply in respect of premises, other than existing premises, at which veterinary services are provided during the transitional period (new premises):\n\t(a)\tnew premises are not required to be registered on the veterinary premises register until 1 October 2026 (or such later date, within the transitional period, as the Board may, by written notice, allow in a particular case);\n\t(b)\tsections 50 and 51 of the Act do not apply in relation to the provision of veterinary services, or the carrying on of a business consisting of, or including, the provision of veterinary services, at new premises before the date the premises are required to be registered under paragraph (a).\n\t(4)\tIn this regulation—\ntransitional period means the period commencing on 1 July 2026 and ending on 31 December 2026.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal regulations\nYear\nNo\nReference\nCommencement\n2025\n126\nGazette 20.11.2025 p4526 \n1.7.2026: r 2\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as no legislative content was provided. The document is a 404 error page from the South Australian legislation website, containing no substantive legal text."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative content was retrievable — the source document is a website error page, not actual legislation","Cannot assess complexity of the underlying regulations without access to the text"],"plain_english_summary":"**⚠️ Content Unavailable — Page Not Found**\n\nThe document provided does not contain any actual legislative text. Instead, it shows a **\"Page Not Found\" error** from the South Australian legislation website (legislation.sa.gov.au).\n\nThis means the **Veterinary Services Regulations 2025** could not be retrieved — likely because:\n- The link or bookmark used to access it was created **before 24 March 2026** and is now broken due to a website update\n- The regulation may have been moved, renamed, or is not yet published at that URL\n\n**What this means for you:** No analysis of the actual law can be provided from this content. If you need to read the Veterinary Services Regulations 2025 (South Australia), try:\n1. Going directly to [legislation.sa.gov.au](https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au)\n2. Searching for \"Veterinary Services Regulations 2025\" in the legislation index\n3. Reporting the broken link to OPCWeb@sa.gov.au"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations appear tightly scoped to operationalise the Veterinary Services Act 2023. The content — defining excluded procedures, recognising interstate registrations, setting supervision requirements, and providing transitional arrangements — aligns precisely with the expected function of subordinate legislation under a veterinary registration statute. There is no evidence of scope creep into unrelated policy areas."},"complexity_factors":["15 regulations total — relatively compact instrument","Extensive lists and sub-lists (e.g., 16 excluded activities in regulation 5, each with nested age-based conditions; 6 categories of exempt non-veterinarian providers in regulation 12)","Cross-references to the parent Act (Veterinary Services Act 2023) throughout — requires reading both instruments together","Conditional logic with multiple variables: age thresholds vary by species (cattle vs pigs vs sheep/goats), by procedure timing (\"first yarding\" vs other), and by method (intranasal tube vs other for deworming)","Table-based recognition of interstate specialist registrations (regulation 10) requiring comparison across 7 jurisdictions with different terminology","Transitional provisions with multiple defined dates and discretionary powers for the Board (regulation 15)","Only 2 defined terms in the interpretation section (\"Act\" and \"transitional period\" in regulation 15) — relatively light on definitions compared to complex financial or tax legislation","No delegated legislation-making powers within the regulations themselves (unlike some regulations that contain 'the Board may make rules')"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations set out the detailed rules for how the *Veterinary Services Act 2023* (South Australia) actually works in practice. Think of the Act as the skeleton and these regulations as the flesh and organs — they fill in the specifics that Parliament left for later.\n\n**Key things covered:**\n\n- **What counts as \"veterinary service\" (and what doesn't):** The regulations list 16 specific activities that are *excluded* from the legal definition — meaning ordinary people (like farmers, farriers, or livestock handlers) can do them without being registered vets. Examples include: deworming animals (without using a stomach tube), dehorning young cattle/sheep/goats under certain ages, castrating young stock, tail docking lambs, vaccinating livestock, horse dentistry using hand tools, pregnancy testing cattle by rectal exam, and artificial insemination of cattle/pigs.\n\n- **Who can practice:** The regulations recognise vets registered in other Australian states and territories, plus New Zealand vets working under mutual recognition laws. They also specify that the \"responsible person\" for a veterinary premises must be a vet who actually lives in South Australia.\n\n- **Who can do vet work without being a vet:** Several exemptions allow non-veterinarians to perform certain procedures under supervision — including livestock inspectors, animal welfare licensees, medical practitioners/dentists/physios/chiropractors, veterinary students, and veterinary nurses doing tasks like dental cleaning, blood collection, catheter insertion, or wound dressing.\n\n- **Complaints and discipline:** The regulations spell out what kinds of bad behaviour the Veterinary Practitioners Board can punish — from animal cruelty and incompetence to damaging Australia's international reputation in animal exports or sport. Vets get at least 21 days to respond to allegations in writing.\n\n- **Governance:** Board members must do corporate governance training, and the Board must keep records of it.\n\n- **Transitional arrangements:** Existing vet hospitals get a grace period (July–December 2026) to register under the new system, with flexible deadlines set by the Board.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Veterinarians and veterinary specialists working in SA\n- Veterinary nurses, students, and support staff\n- Farmers and livestock handlers performing routine animal husbandry\n- Farriers and equine dentists\n- Anyone running a veterinary clinic or hospital\n- The Australian Veterinary Association (SA Division), named as the official \"peak body\"\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThese rules determine who can legally treat your animals, what qualifications they need, where they must live, and what happens if they mess up. For rural communities especially, the exemptions are crucial — they let farmers do routine procedures without needing a vet present, while protecting animal welfare by setting age limits and supervision requirements."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The regulations materially narrow and clarify the Act's practical scope. They exclude many routine procedures from the Act's definition of 'veterinary service' (reg 5), create statutory exemptions for specified non‑veterinarians and New Zealand registrants (regs 9, 12), and set transitional rules that delay premises' registration obligations (reg 15). They also recognise interstate specialist authorisations (regs 4, 10), which alters who is treated as registered under the Act. These measures change who must register, when registration or premises standards apply, and which activities attract regulatory obligations."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive cross‑referencing to the Veterinary Services Act 2023 (eg. regs 3, 8 refer to Act sections) increases interpretive load.","Detailed exclusions from the definition of 'veterinary service' with age and method thresholds (reg 5) create many narrow carve‑outs to apply in practice.","Multiple exemption pathways for non‑veterinarians (reg 12) and New Zealand registrants (reg 9) require concurrent reading of external statutes (Trans‑Tasman Mutual Recognition Act) and supervision rules.","Recognition of corresponding laws and a table mapping specialist authorisations (regs 4 and 10) requires cross‑jurisdictional comparison to determine equivalence.","Board discretion in approving governance training, delegating functions and setting registration days or conditions (regs 7, 8, 15(2)(a),(c)) concentrates administrative decision points.","Transitional staging and temporary registration conditions for premises (reg 15) impose time‑bound compliance steps and variable obligations by class of premises.","Complaint scope and procedural timing are narrowed and formalised (regs 13 and 14), affecting enforcement decisions and minimum timelines.","Record‑keeping and supervision compliance obligations (regs 7(2), 12(2)) create ongoing administrative burdens for registrants and supervising veterinarians."],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set out how the Veterinary Services Act 2023 will operate in practice. They define routine activities that are not \"veterinary services\", recognise interstate specialist registrations, create targeted exemptions (including for certain New Zealand registrants and supervised non‑veterinarians), prescribe Board governance and delegation powers, and phase in premises registration. They matter to veterinarians, clinics, trainees and Board members because they change who must register, what supervision and record‑keeping is required, and when premises must meet standards."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/veterinary-services-regulations-2025","history":"/api/acts/veterinary-services-regulations-2025/history","analysis":"/api/acts/veterinary-services-regulations-2025/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/veterinary-services-regulations-2025/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/veterinary-services-regulations-2025/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/veterinary-services-regulations-2025/documents"}}