Vets want uni debts wiped just like doctors and nurses moving to the country

Students, staff and community members will hold a sit in and protest today (Monday) at the University of Melbourne's U-Vet Animal Hospital in Werribee.

The hospital has long been at the centre of veterinary courses run by the university, the biggest in the state.

The university has also said its Faculty of Veterinary Sciences will merge with the Faculty of Science.

It said a fall in revenue and rising costs had led to the decision but insists its provision of veterinary education will not suffer.

The move comes as the Australian Veterinary Association has pressed ahead with its call for the Federal government to wipe the HECS debts of veterinary graduates who live and work in rural and remote areas.

The government has announced it would wipe the HECS debts of doctors and nurse practitioners who live and work in the most remote parts of Australia.

AVA president Dr Bronwyn Orr asked the government to now focus on the veterinary skills shortage in the regions.

"The current skills shortage of vets in the regions is crippling the industry, impacting the agricultural sector and if urgent support is not delivered we may see the rural veterinary workforce collapse.

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"We have called on the government to commit $19.23 million over four years which would deliver 80 new graduates each year to the regions," she said.

Dr Orr said veterinary graduates study for a similar amount of time as doctors and graduate with a similar HECS debt, often in the six figure range.

Affording the same HECS forgiveness to vets as doctors would be warmly welcomed by our profession.

An AVA survey last year found 31 per cent of practices advertising for vets are taking 12 months or longer to fill vacancies.

The University of Melbourne has said if Werribee was to close as mooted its students would be "embedded" in commercial hospitals alongside university staff.

The university advised staff of its plans earlier in the month with a planned closure date fir the Werribee animal hospital by Christmas.

"U-Vet is the only veterinary teaching hospital in Victoria, where students can gain hands on experience providing veterinary care to animals of all shapes and sizes," U-Vet veterinary nurse Taylor Reader said

"The closure of U-Vet will result in the job losses of over 100 highly skilled veterinary staff which provide 80 specialist skills not available anywhere else in Victoria.

"Victoria is currently facing a shortage of vets and U-Vet's ongoing operation is absolutely critical in training the quality vets we need for the future," she said.