2026-09-16
In a speech to the Senate today, Queensland Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne has called on James Cook University to rethink its plan to axe its Veterinary Diagnostic Pathology Laboratory, as teaching staff, students and the broader community rally in Townsville.
The lab is a primary diagnostic hub for North Queensland and is one of the state’s major veterinary microbiology centres. The lab and its staff save the lives of countless pets and livestock every year.
The proposed axing of the lab would see technicians and scientists lose their jobs and would undermine the university’s ability to train the next generation of vets, leaving students worried about their future career prospects.
Comments attributable to Queensland Senator and Greens spokesperson on Northern Australia, Senator Penny Allman-Payne:
“Solidarity with teaching staff, students and community members rallying in Townsville today.
“No one in North Queensland wants this, least of all the staff whose jobs are now under threat, and the students who are now questioning their choice of institution and worried about their future prospects.
“We can’t talk about ‘opening the doors of opportunity’, particularly in the regions, when those regional universities are slashing staff, attacking pay and conditions, weakening the quality of their courses and undermining community trust.
“Regional universities need proper public funding so their staff and their students have the resources and security they need to thrive.”
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