VETERINARY EDUCATION—250TH ANNIVERSARY

Senator Back, also on behalf of Senators Ludwig and Milne, pursuant to notice of motion not objected to as a formal motion, moved general business notice of motion no. 196—That the Senate—

 (a) notes that:

  (i) 2011 marks the 250th anniversary of veterinary education with the establishment of the first veterinary school in Lyon, France, in 1761, and

  (ii) around the world, 2011 is being designated World Veterinary Year to honour the contribution and achievements of the veterinary profession in the community to animal health and production, public health, animal welfare, food safety and bio-security;

 (b) recognises that:

  (i) in Australia, 2011 marks the 120th anniversary of the first class of graduates from the inaugurated Melbourne Veterinary College,

  (ii) seven schools of veterinary medicine are now established in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia,

  (iii) veterinarians are dedicated to preserving the bond between humans and animals by practising and promoting the highest standards of science-based, ethical animal welfare with all animals, large and small,

  (iv) veterinarians are on the front line in maintaining Australia's status as being free from exotic diseases that threaten the environment and human and animal health, and that veterinarians provide extensive pro bono services annually through the ethical treatment of unowned animals and wildlife,

  (v) veterinarians are vital to ensuring the high quality of Australia's commercial herds and flocks and the security of our food supply,

  (vi) veterinarians provide a valuable public health service through preventative medicine, control of zoonotic disease and scientific research, and

  (vii) significant contributions and achievements have been made by many individual members of the Australian veterinary profession, including:

   (A) Nobel Prize winner and Australian of the Year, Dr Peter C Doherty, who achieved major breakthroughs in the field of immunology which were vital in understanding the body's rejection of incompatible tissues in transplantation and in fighting meningitis viruses,

   (B) Professor Mary Barton, a leading veterinary bacteriologist with a distinguished career in government and in veterinary public health, who has a strong research background in bacterial infections of animals and in antibiotic resistance in animal and human health, and

   (C) Dr Reg Pascoe, a renowned equine surgeon and dermatologist, and a leader in his profession for more than 50 years, who, while running a busy practice in Oakey, published 70 research papers
and many texts while earning a doctorate, and has also dedicated years to the National Veterinary Examination and the Veterinary Surgeons' Board of Queensland; and

 (c) further recognises:

  (i) that 2011 is World Veterinary Year,

  (ii) the valuable and diverse roles veterinarians perform in the Australian community, and

  (iii) the veterinary profession as it celebrates the past and continuing contribution by veterinarians.

Statement by leave: Senator Back, by leave, made a statement relating to the motion.

Question put and passed.