By the end of next year, Bridget Webster will be living her dream of being a veterinarian, but will also be graduating with $100,000 worth of student debt.
Peak lobby group the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) is calling for the federal government to invest in the regional vet workforce by scrapping student debts for vets who live and work in rural areas.
"It'd give me a lot of financial freedom … any relief would be phenomenal," Ms Webster said.
"I wouldn't have to stress too much [about] how much of my wage is going to my HECS debt, or living expenses I'd have to cut down on, or how long it's going to take me to pay off."
President of the AVA Bronwyn Orr said after "chronic underinvestment" in rural veterinary services, it was time for the government to take "immediate action".
"With emergency animal diseases like foot-and-mouth disease on our borders in Indonesia, there's never been a more important time to make sure that we have enough vets in the bush," Dr Orr said.
She said "HECS forgiveness" would encourage more vets to look outside city centres where clinics are "crying out for staff".
"The hardest years of being a veterinarian — and probably any professional — is the first couple of years after graduation," Dr Orr said.
"That's when you're earning the lowest amount in your entire career and you have the most amount of debt.
"For them to not have this additional financial burden, it would really make it attractive for them to go to the regions — and we know that if you can get people to go regional for a couple of years, they're more likely to integrate into that community and settle down."
Dr Orr said the policy would offer a longer-term solution for the vet shortage.
"We think that this is a pretty quick policy solution that can yield some good results," she said.
Inspiration from across the ditch
Dr Orr said HECS assistance could be the answer or Australia could take lead from our New Zealand neighbours.
The head of New Zealand's Veterinary Association Kevin Bryant said the country's voluntary bonding scheme for veterinarians had been highly successful for more than a decade.
"The incentive is $11,000 per annum for five years … with the first three years being paid out in a lump sum in the end of three years," Mr Bryant said.
"It's really intended to support these people and their lives in the community, whether it's paying debt, putting a deposit on a house, buying a car — whatever it may be, there's no restrictions.
"People were staying in the profession, staying in the rural practices so it was good for the individuals.
"They had stability, they were becoming part of their community, the practices didn't have to worry about constantly recruiting … so there's been a lot of benefits of it."
Mr Bryant said the drop-out rate within five years had decreased dramatically and the scheme was easing the chronic vet shortage that New Zealand — like Australia — was facing.
But there were only 30 places for the scheme each year, something the NZVA was pushing its government to expand after a positive 10-year review conducted in 2019.
"There's a level of comfort now that we've got a scheme that's working," Mr Bryant said.
"So it's an ongoing conversation and we'd love to see that number a lot higher."
Back in Australia, Ms Webster said while young vets were looking to the regions for more experience, other incentives should be explored too.
"With human medicine, they have a rural incentive program and, depending on the isolation status or the status of the town that you're going to work in, you can get more subsidies, or financial relief or some sort of bonus," she said.
"Unfortunately for vets, there's nothing like that as of yet, so even something like that would be an incredible drawcard."
