[Imc-sydney] HealthQuest Victims Achieve Major Win Thanks to Sydney Indymedia

[Pyewacket Cat]

Dear all,

Sydney Indymedia has been hugely influential in a recent victory by HealthQuest victims over the N.S.W. government medical office. A recent applicant for employment who had been employed in the private sector for a number of years but had been a major HealthQuest whistleblower in the 1990s re-applied for work in the public sector 4 years ago. He/she was sent to HealthQuest to be assessed for employment and HQ was again used to bar him/her from employment for political reasons. The chief medical officer (Dodwell) attempted to send him/her to multiple medical assessments including psychiatric/psychological/neurological even though the person has no history of mental illness, is not on medication for mental illness and is not receiving treatment for same. 

The would-be employee appealed to the Federal Human Rights and Equal Opportunites Board in early 2005 for help. They put a stop to the demands for pscyhiatric assessment. Had the person appealed to the antidiscrimination board, they may not have been successful, due to Labor influence.

The case was documented on Sydney Indymedia. F.O.I. applications for documents from the prospective employer showed that threatening letters were sent to Sydney Indy by government solicitors. One article was taken down. However the others stood, and of course, you can still find the disputed article on 'Cache'. Articles were cross-posted to New Zealand Indy (as the doctor causing this trouble is a New Zealander) and UK Indy to preserve them. 

These articles were telling the world the truth. This was very threatening to the N.S.W. State Government who have a shocking history of civil rights abuses. 

The HREOC ensured Dodwell found the applicant fit for work - after three and a half years of stuffing around. However Dodwell then complained to the employer that he believed the applicant for employment had posted articles on Sydney Indymedia which were detrimental to the N.S.W. government and therefore againast the Code of Conduct for employees. Even though the person was still not an employee, an investigation into the Sydney Indymedia articles was set up into who was the author of these articles. The identity of the author has never been uncovered. No doubt they are posting these articles in some seedy internet cafe clad in a strange hat and sunglasses.

During the course of this investigation into Indymedia 'crimes', dozens of Indymedia articles written by many diverse people on many topics were placed on the would-be employee's personnel file, the suggestion being that that person was the author of all of them.  One person who made a formal protest and demanded his articles be removed from government files was Tom McLoughlin. L. Killen also made a complaint under privacy laws. Takver volunteered as well. 

Sydney Indymedia had certainly brought things to a head as far as HealthQuest was concerned. Dodwell reported the Sydney Indy articles to police, naming a certain activist as the author, although the authors were anonymous. The police took no action. Dodwell advised the government department not to employ the person as he/she was a danger to the status quo, and so it all dragged on.

Complaints to the Health Care Complaints Commission were finally partially successful. The HCCC, under scrutiny and being accused of collusion on Sydney Indymedia by various activists, referred the matter back to HealthQuest and suggested they appoint an independent investigator into the actions of Dodwell, the chief government medical officer. 

David Madden, former Deputy Commissioner of Police, was appointed to investigate.

G. Crewdson was of great help to the complainant, assisting in the linking of certain actions to the flaunting of various laws. Mr Crewdson, a former architect and now jazz musician, is a man of incredible intelligence and has an excellent grasp of the law. He attended the interview of the complainant with David Madden as a support person.

The results of that investigation have become known in the last few days. 

It was found that in forwarding material from Sydney Indymedia Dodwell had breached privacy restrictions. The applicant for employment did not know the material was being captured and held by HealthQuest. He/she did not know it was being forwarded by that agency to the prospective employer and accordingly had no opportunity to defend himself/herself. She/he had no opportunity to object to the material from Sydney Indymedia being provided to the N.S.W. government as 'evidence' of his/her unsuitability for employment. The way in which the prospective employer was informed by Dodwell about Sydney Indymedia articles was inappropriate and not reasonable behaviour by a public official. 

David Madden's report was then forwarded to former magistrate John Heagney for further advice. Mr Heagney supported David Madden's recommendations. 

Dodwell's employment with HealthQuest has been terminated as of 26th March 2008. The outcomes of David Madden's and John Heagney's enquiries have been referred to N.S.W. Police, and the Medical Board. 

Dodwell denies the allegations against him and is seeking further legal advice.

Thank you Sydney Indymedia. 

And to the galah who wrote the peom about Indymedia being a 'failed project', you are so wrong. Sydney Indymedia has been the catalyst for change in this matter. Sydney Indy got the truth out there, which made the perpetrators of human rights abuses panic and put their foot well and truly in it.

Regards

Pyewacket


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