Roy Eric: Veterinarians Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Roy Eric: Veterinarians Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:628;Page:889] 
ERIC ROY (National—Invercargill) 
: 
 I am delighted to make a contribution on the Veterinarians Bill for all sorts of reasons. It replaces the Veterinarians Act 1994 and I seem to recall that the young member of Parliament chairing the Primary Production Committee that dealt with that bill in 1994 was me. Interestingly I note that although the Act is called the Veterinarians Act 2004 the bill I dealt with in the select committee in 1994 had lain around for 8 years. So it is time we dealt with this legislation again obviously. 
I pick up the point that Katherine Rich raised. I really want to know what mischief we are correcting given that such a precise and accurate endeavour was made in 1994. I just look at the members of the committee and see that there has been about a 33 percent attrition rate of the members who were there—they did not return—and very few of those members are still on the Primary Production Committee. So it was a very stressful occurrence for them. 
It is important that we get the bill right. Other members have stressed the importance of having the appropriate mechanisms surrounding veterinary practice in New Zealand. We need to consider a heap of issues. The bill in its purpose and interpretation provisions in Part 1 sets out in broad terms to deal with some of those issues. There is the issue of animal welfare. We need to take a very responsible attitude to the way in which we treat and deal with our animals. We should ensure that we have a register of vets that we require certain standards that we have a process of registration and that there is a process of review should anything inappropriate occur. The purpose and interpretation provisions set out some of those issues. 
It is also very important from a consumer point of view that the products from our primary industry are known and trusted and that there is a very clear perception that New Zealand is on top of the issues of veterinary care animal welfare veterinary science and all of those things to give assurance that we have in place the very best practices. 
Katherine Rich said when she was talking about this mischief thing that she had not had any complaints. I have had one complaint. I have read the bill briefly and it is not contained in there. It is a matter that I will take to the PC eradicator. I say to the Minister that the following story did occur and I am not fabricating it. About a month ago a lady came to my office. The lady’s name is Mrs Court and she loves cats. She came into my office and said that her cat had been sick. She took it to the vet. The vet gave it an ECG and said that the cat needed to stay for a night or two for medication. So the vet started treating the cat. After 3 days Mrs Court was a little concerned for its welfare so she rang the veterinary practice and asked how the cat was. The person who responded on the telephone said: “I am sorry madam under privacy laws I cannot respond.” I say to the Minister that that is absolutely true. I am not sure whether the person was being overzealous but it says something about where our levels of political correctness have got to. I am not sure whether she expected the cat to lay a complaint if its owner actually received a report that was not accurate or that was accurate and was that the cat was swinging the lead—I am not sure of the issues that surrounded that response. But as true as I stand here that story occurred in Invercargill. I have not found out whether Mrs Court’s cat is better is well or what the story is. 
I say to the Minister that I would hope that in the new legislation we are enacting today we take a sensible approach to all matters veterinary. There are some issues surrounding veterinary practice that the bill in its purposes and interpretation provisions does not look at and I do not know whether it can.