Health Care Complaints Commission v Gao [2022] NSWCATOD 73

Civil and Administrative Tribunal New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Health Care Complaints Commission v Gao [2022] NSWCATOD 73 Hearing dates: 13, 14, 16 December 2021 and 20 April 2022 Date of orders: 06 July 2022 Decision date: 06 July 2022 Jurisdiction: Occupational Division Before: I R Coleman SC ADCJ, Principal Member Dr G Yeo, Senior Member Dr J Fogarty, Senior Member D Telford, General Member Decision: 1. The Tribunal finds the Respondent guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct. 2. The Tribunal finds the Respondent guilty of professional misconduct. 3. The proceedings are adjourned to a date to be fixed for directions with respect to the hearing of Stage 2 of the proceedings. 4. The costs of the proceedings are reserved. Catchwords: HEALTH — professional registration and discipline —professional misconduct — whether practitioner breached doctor-patient boundaries — where practitioner relied on character evidence — whether unsatisfactory professional conduct of practitioner sufficiently serious to constitute professional misconduct Legislation Cited: Health Care Complaints Act 1993(NSW) Health Practitioner Regulation 2016 (NSW) Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (NSW) Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (NSW) Cases Cited: A v N [2012] NSWSC 354 Attwood v The Queen [1960] HCA 15; (1960) 102 CLR 353 Blatch v Archer (1774) 98 ER 969 Briginshaw v Briginshaw [1938] HCA 34; (1938) 60 CLR 336 Browne v Dunn (1893) 6 R 67 Campbell v Campbell [2015] NSWSC 784 Chen v Health Care Complaints Commission [2017] NSWCA 186 Eastman v R (1997) FCR 9 G v H [1994] HCA 48; (1994) 181 CLR 387 Hardcastle v Commissioner of Police (1984) 53 ARL 539 Health Care Complaints Commission v Amalakumar [2019] NSWCATOD 173 Health Care Complaints Commission v Grygiel (Termination Application) [2020] NSWCATOD 53 Health Care Complaints Commission v Little [2015] NSWCATOD 146 Health Care Complaints Commission v Ross [2019] NSWCATOD 153 Health Care Complaints Commission v Wilcox [2020] NSWCATOD 10 Health Care Complaints Commission v Yildirim [2021] NSWCATOD 146 Helton v Allan [1940] 63 CLR 691 Ho v Powell [2001] NSWCA 168; (2001) 51 NSWLR 572 Hobhouse v McArthur Onslow [2016] NSWSC 1831 Makita (Australia) Pty Ltd v Sprowles [2001] NSWCA 305: (2001) 52 NSWLR 705 Medical Board of Australia v Gupta [2015] QCAT 20 Medical Board of Australia v Moschou [2021] SACAT 30 Melbourne v R [1999] HCA 32; (1999) 198 CLR 1 Melbourne v The Queen [1999] HCA 32; (1999) 198 CLR 1 New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation v Orr [2019] NSWCA 231 PGM v R (2006) 164 A Crim R 426 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority [1998] HCA 28; (1998) 194 CLR 355 Public Service Association and Professional Officers' Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v Secretary of the Treasury [2014] NSWCA 112 R v Bartle [2003] NSWCCA 329 R v Byrnes & Hopwood [1995] HCA 1; (1995) 183 CLR 501 R v El-Kheir [2004] NSWCCA 461 R v Skaf [2004] NSWCCA 74 R v Stalder (1981) 2 NSWLR 9 Stirland v Director of Public Prosecutions [1944] AC 315 Sudath v Health Care complaints Commission [2012] NSWCA 34 TKWJ v The Queen [2002] HCA 46; (2002) 212 CLR 124 West v Mead [2003] NSWSC 161 Texts Cited: Sexual Boundaries: Guidelines for Doctors. Medical Court of Australia. October 2018 Sexual Boundaries: Guidelines for Doctors. Medical Court of Australia. October 2011 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Health Care Complaints Commission (Applicant) Edward Rezhong Gao (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: T Stevens (Applicant) T Hammond (Respondent)