Help us save the JCU vet lab! 

JCU is making the executive decision to shut the JCU vet lab down and with it, make all of their lab technicians and scientists redundant. By processing samples from throughout Townsville, as well as being one of QLD’s major veterinary microbiology centres, their staff save the lives of countless animals every year. Without this crucial service, samples will have to be sent to Brisbane, wasting money, wasting time and endangering the lives of our pets and livestock.

Not only are our vet services affected, but other health degrees at JCU, including veterinary science, biomedical science and medical laboratory science will be detrimentally affected as they all benefit from the veterinary diagnostic service for teaching valuable practical material and the expertise the staff currently bring to the programs. Anyone who has been involved with any of these courses knows first-hand how crucial our current practical sessions are for learning and professional development. 

Our vet program is the backbone of the rural service in QLD, producing over 50 graduates yearly, with students travelling from all around Australia and overseas just to study at JCU. Biomedical and medical laboratory science graduates would simply lack the extensive practical experience that gives them a competitive advantage over graduates from other universities when job-seeking. These changes would render these JCU degrees undesirable, and it is doubtful many would relocate just to study here.

This lab also provides expertise and service for various histological, microbiological, veterinary and biomedical research, all of which will need to be outsourced at great expense and inconvenience.

The scientists, technicians and veterinary pathologists that currently staff our vet lab are incredibly knowledgeable, loyal, hard-working people, with many of them having worked there for over 10 years. Losing this experience will not only affect JCU but the profession more broadly throughout North QLD and result in a massive brain drain from the university. Replacing this type of expertise is already difficult in urban and larger cities and will be almost impossible to replace in regional areas such as Townsville.

This decision was made without the consultation of lab staff, academics or students, and no effort has been made to allow the students to have their voice heard. The students have also not even been informed of this decision, despite the drastic effect it will have on their studies particularly those in their final years. As students, we are baffled that JCU has even considered this decision. We cannot let JCU follow through with these changes. Please help us, we only have until the 24th of July to act.