South Australia
Veterinary Services Regulations 2025
under the Veterinary Services Act 2023

Contents
1	Short title
2	Commencement
3	Interpretation
4	Recognition of corresponding laws
5	Meaning of veterinary service
6	Prescribed peak body
7	Governance training
8	Delegations—prescribed functions
9	Exemptions relating to persons registered in New Zealand
10	Recognition of registration under corresponding laws
11	Responsible person in respect of registered premises
12	Exemptions for provision of veterinary services by persons other than veterinarians
13	Complaints that may be dealt with under Part 7 Division 3 of Act
14	Admission or denial of allegations
15	Transitional provisions—registration of premises
Legislative history

1—Short title
These regulations may be cited as the Veterinary Services Regulations 2025.
2—Commencement
These regulations come into operation on the day on which section 3 of the Veterinary Services Act 2023 comes into operation.
3—Interpretation
In these regulations—
Act means the Veterinary Services Act 2023.
4—Recognition of corresponding laws
Pursuant 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:
	(a)	the Veterinary Practice Act 2018 of the Australian Capital Territory;
	(b)	the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 of New South Wales;
	(c)	the Veterinarians Act 1994 of the Northern Territory;
	(d)	the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936 of Queensland;
	(e)	the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1987 of Tasmania;
	(f)	the Veterinary Practice Act 1997 of Victoria;
	(g)	the Veterinary Practice Act 2021 of Western Australia.
5—Meaning of veterinary service
The following are excluded from the ambit of the definition of veterinary service in section 3(1) of the Act:
	(a)	the deworming of an animal other than by intranasal oesophageal tube;
	(b)	the performance of the Mules operation on sheep;
	(c)	the dehorning of cattle, sheep or goats if the animal is less than—
	(i)	in the case of cattle where the dehorning is performed at the time of first yarding—12 months of age; or
	(ii)	in any other case—6 months of age;
	(d)	the castration of cattle, sheep, pigs or goats if the animal is less than—
	(i)	in the case of cattle where the castration is performed at the time of first yarding—12 months of age; or
	(ii)	in the case of pigs—21 days of age; or
	(iii)	in any other case—6 months of age;
	(e)	the tail docking of lambs that are less than 6 months of age;
	(f)	the treatment of an animal for ectoparasites;
	(g)	the treatment of footrot in sheep or goats by foot‑paring or foot‑bathing;
	(h)	the vaccination of livestock;
	(i)	farriery or hoof trimming that does not involve entry into or beyond sensitive hoof structures, and the assessment of an animal for that purpose;
	(j)	the desnooding, despurring, dubbing, beak trimming, beak treatment or toe trimming of day‑old poultry chicks;
	(k)	the artificial insemination of cattle or pigs (other than surgical artificial insemination);
	(l)	the 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);
	(m)	the diagnosis of pregnancy of cattle by rectal ultrasound or rectal examination;
	(n)	rasping the teeth, or removing a loose tooth or deciduous tooth cap, of a horse using manual instruments;
	(o)	the assessment of an animal in relation to—
	(i)	non‑invasive manual physical therapy of the animal; or
	(ii)	the 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);
	(p)	the performance of a faecal egg count.
6—Prescribed peak body
For 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.
7—Governance training
	(1)	For 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.
	(2)	The Board must keep records of the corporate governance training completed by Board members.
8—Delegations—prescribed functions
For the purposes of section 17(1) of the Act, the following functions are prescribed:
	(a)	hearing and determining proceedings regarding medical fitness under Part 6 of the Act;
	(b)	determining applications for registration on the general register or the specialist register under section 28 of the Act;
	(c)	endorsing codes of conduct, professional standards and guidelines for the purposes of the Act;
	(d)	endorsing the veterinary premises standard under section 40 of the Act.
9—Exemptions relating to persons registered in New Zealand
A person—
	(a)	who holds registration in New Zealand equivalent to general or specialist registration under the Act; and
	(b)	who 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
	(c)	whose principal place of residence is not in this State,
is exempt from the operation of sections 28(4)(c) and 32(2)(b) of the Act.
10—Recognition of registration under corresponding laws
	(1)	For 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:

Corresponding law	Form of authorisation	
Veterinary Practice Act 2018 of the Australian Capital Territory	Registration as a veterinary practitioner with specialist registration	
Veterinary Practice Act 2003 of New South Wales	Specialist registration in a branch of veterinary science	
Veterinarians Act 1994 of the Northern Territory	Registration as a veterinary specialist in a branch of veterinary surgery or medicine, including interim registration	
Veterinary Surgeons Act 1936 of Queensland	Registration as a veterinary specialist with respect to a veterinary speciality	
Veterinary Surgeons Act 1987 of Tasmania	Registration as a veterinary specialist	
Veterinary Practice Act 1997 of Victoria	Endorsement 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)	
Veterinary Practice Act 2021 of Western Australia	Specialist registration as a WA veterinarian in a particular speciality	
	(2)	In this regulation, words used in a description of a form of authorisation under a corresponding law have the meanings assigned by that law.
11—Responsible person in respect of registered premises
For 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.
12—Exemptions for provision of veterinary services by persons other than veterinarians
	(1)	Pursuant 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:
	(a)	the provision of veterinary services by an inspector appointed under the Livestock Act 1997 in the course of the inspector's duties;
	(b)	the provision of veterinary services by a person pursuant to a licence under the Animal Welfare Act 1985;
	(c)	the provision of veterinary services by a medical practitioner, dentist, physiotherapist or chiropractor under the supervision of a veterinarian;
	(d)	the 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;
	(e)	the administration of an anaesthetic, drug or vaccine to an animal by a person in accordance with the directions of a veterinarian;
	(f)	the dubbing or toe trimming of poultry, other than day‑old poultry chicks, in accordance with the directions of a veterinarian;
	(g)	—
	(i)	the scaling and polishing of the teeth of an animal; or
	(ii)	the administration of a substance to an animal (where such an act constitutes a veterinary service); or
	(iii)	the performance of a temperature, pulse or respiration test on an animal (where such an act constitutes a veterinary service); or
	(iv)	the collection of blood samples from an animal; or
	(v)	the insertion of an intravenous catheter into an animal; or
	(vi)	wound care (including the dressing and bandaging of wounds) provided to an animal,
under 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.
	(2)	A 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.
13—Complaints that may be dealt with under Part 7 Division 3 of Act
Pursuant to section 73(a) of the Act—
	(a)	complaints relating to the following kinds of unprofessional conduct may be the subject of a determination by the Board under section 72:
	(i)	conduct that, if repeated or continued, is likely to—
	(A)	cause unnecessary suffering to an animal; or
	(B)	cause the inappropriate death of an animal; or
	(C)	adversely affect the safety or health of any person; or
	(D)	damage the international reputation of Australia in relation to animal exports, animal welfare, animal produce or sporting events;
	(ii)	a contravention of—
	(A)	a provision of the Act or these regulations; or
	(B)	a code of conduct or professional standards prepared or endorsed by the Board under the Act; or
	(C)	a condition of a veterinarian's registration under the Act;
	(iii)	providing information relating to veterinarian qualifications for registration knowing that the information is false or misleading in a material particular;
	(iv)	a 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;
	(v)	conduct that demonstrates—
	(A)	incompetence in relation to the provision of veterinary services; or
	(B)	a lack of adequate knowledge, skill, judgement or care in relation to the provision of veterinary services; and
	(b)	a 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.
14—Admission or denial of allegations
For the purposes of section 74(3)(b) of the Act—
	(a)	the Board must allow a veterinarian at least 21 days to admit or deny an allegation; and
	(b)	any admission or denial must be made in writing.
15—Transitional provisions—registration of premises
	(1)	This 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.
	(2)	The following provisions apply in respect of premises that are being used for the provision of veterinary services on 1 July 2026 (existing premises):
	(a)	existing 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);
	(b)	an 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);
	(c)	the 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));
	(d)	sections 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.
	(3)	The following provisions apply in respect of premises, other than existing premises, at which veterinary services are provided during the transitional period (new premises):
	(a)	new 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);
	(b)	sections 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).
	(4)	In this regulation—
transitional period means the period commencing on 1 July 2026 and ending on 31 December 2026.

Legislative history
Notes
	•	For 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.
Principal regulations
Year	No	Reference	Commencement	
2025	126	Gazette 20.11.2025 p4526 	1.7.2026: r 2