I'm in a similar situation. I did cert 11 in animal studies earlier this year, and am about to finish cert 111 in companion animal services. when i do finish i can get a job as a vet nurse, then do cert 4 in vet nursing if i get a minimum 15 hours a week. but yes, i will also have the problem of a very low paying job, as one of my teachers has made sure we know just how low paying it is and how long the hours are etc. but i also have the problem of in my area not having many veterinary clinics around and therefore not many positions, but lots of people wanting positions. i don't know what it's like in the capital cities though, but yeah $32K is probably considered pretty low, but as others have said, if you love it then you can cope with the pay rate.
good luck, hope it all works out well for you