New South Wales Consolidated Acts

VETERINARY PRACTICE ACT 2003 - SECT 14

14 Offence of representing certain corporations and firms to be veterinary practices

(1) A corporation must not represent itself to be a veterinary practice unless one or more veterinary practitioners has or have the controlling interest in the corporation.

Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units or imprisonment for 12 months, or both, in the case of an individual or 100 penalty units in the case of a corporation.

(2) A person must not represent that a corporation is a veterinary practice if the person knows, or ought reasonably to know, that any such representation by the corporation itself would be a contravention of subsection (1).

Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units or imprisonment for 12 months, or both.

(3) A partner or member of a firm must not represent the firm to be a veterinary practice unless one or more veterinary practitioners has or have the controlling interest in the firm.

Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units or imprisonment for 12 months, or both.

(4) Without limiting the ways in which a corporation or firm can be considered to be represented to be a veterinary practice, a representation using any of the following titles, names or descriptions constitutes such a representation:

(a) a representation using the title or description “veterinary surgeon”, “veterinary practice”, “veterinary”, “vet” or “animal doctor” or any abbreviation or derivative of those words, either alone or in connection with any other title or description,

(b) another title, name or description that indicates, or is capable of being understood to indicate, or is calculated to lead a person to infer, that the corporation or firm is a veterinary practice,

(c) any title, name or description prescribed by the regulations.

(5) This section does not apply to the following:

(a) a corporation or firm that provides veterinary services but whose principal business is the supply of goods or materials used in connection with agriculture so long as the provision of the veterinary services is at the same premises from which those goods and materials are supplied,

(b) a government department, public or local authority or statutory corporation,

(c) a charitable organisation within the meaning of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 that provides veterinary services,

(d) a person or body, or a class of persons or bodies, prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of this paragraph.