Working together: a partnership between

East Arnhem Regional Council &

the University of Melbourne

Elizabeth Tudor,

Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences

University of Melbourne, Victoria Australia

Emma Kennedy

East Arnhem Regional Council

Northern Territory

Western Arnhem Land Dog

Health Program

Population control - surgical de-sexing

Community outreach and parasite control

program

Keys to successful programs in

Indigenous communities

• Relationship building

• Reliability

• Sustainability

East Arnhem Regional

Council

• Animal Management Program

A Partnership Model

Elements

Veterinarian (Resident in Veterinary Public Health) employed by Unimelb

•“On ground” in communities for up to 9 months per year to support

EARC work and deliver program including:

• Surgical de-sexing program

• General veterinary care

• Prophylactic parasite control program

• Training of local Indigenous AMW’s

• Monitoring of dog population and data base management

•Supervision of DVM4 students on general medicine and surgery

placement

•Supervision of DVM4 students on public health rotation

Benefits

For Resident Veterinarian

•Unique professional experience

•Advanced training preparation for specialist examination

•Research higher degree training for resident (MVSc)

For East Arnhem Community

•Capacity building for local communities

•Consistent service delivery

•Sustainability and professional support for Council employed staff

For University

•Teaching opportunities for students across several disciplines and levels

•Development of ongoing research partnership