Mark Hobart fronted Victoria’s Supreme Court on Tuesday saying his medical career and North Sunshine Surgery in Melbourne’s northwestern suburbs had been “destroyed” since the Medical Board of Australia suspended his practising licence eight months ago.The suspension came after the Health Department raided his McIntyre Rd clinic in November amid allegations he was issuing fake COVID-19 vaccine records.The department referred the case to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) but no criminal charges or findings of professional misconduct have been made against the GP.Dr Hobart, representing himself in court, questioned whether the board had the power to suspend him indefinitely pending an investigation.He urged Supreme Court judge Melinda Richards to order the board to “hurry up” their investigation to determine if they will pursue him in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.“It has been eight months and counting, your honour, since I was suspended,” he said.The lengthy delay was unfair, he said, particularly given he had lost his livelihood and business.Dr Hobart said he wants his day in VCAT to contest the allegations and learn his fate as opposed to the indefinite suspension he now has hanging over his head.“They say I am an immediate risk – I am a danger to the public,” he said.“It has destroyed my practice. I want it to be referred to the tribunal. I want a resolution.“At least if the tribunal suspends me, I will have a time frame.”Justice Richards said it was “a fair question” to ask where the investigation was at.“The allegations weren’t particularly complex,” she said.“Where’s it up to and why is it taking so long?”Barrister Glyn Ayres, for the board, said the investigation was “ongoing”.Justice Richards reserved her decision.
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