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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-11-16 Daily Xml
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SafeWork SA

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:07): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Treasurer in his capacity as minister for industrial relations a question about SafeWork SA.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: In September 2020, experienced obstetric and gynaecological specialist, Dr Yen-Yung Yap, took his own life under pressure of being investigated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency since 2015. In early 2020, AHPRA imposed restrictions on Dr Yap, which severely impacted his earning capacity and ability to practise in his specialist field. Dr Yap initiated legal action against AHPRA to defend himself before the Supreme Court, but before that was finalised he took his own life, leaving behind a devastated wife and three teenage children.

Following his death, AHPRA elected to close the investigation, writing to Dr Yap's widow, Mei, stating that now that her husband was deceased he was no longer a threat to the public and it would not continue his case nor investigate any learnings. Under the safe work act, Mei lodged a complaint with SafeWork SA in early April this year to investigate AHPRA for bullying, psychological harm and its duty of care towards Dr Yap and since that time has received conflicting advice as to whether such an investigation was underway.

My question to the minister is: is SafeWork SA investigating AHPRA over the death of Dr Yap; if so, what are the terms of that investigation; and, if not, why not, given that the SA board of AHPRA was responsible for commencing the investigation against Dr Yap and is based in Adelaide and AHPRA's five-year investigation into Dr Yap occurred in its entirety in SA?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:09): I am happy to take the honourable member's question on notice and bring back a reply. I will stand corrected but I don't believe I have any knowledge of an investigation into AHPRA, but given the background and nature of this I don't want to share any incorrect information with the chamber, so I will take the honourable member's question on notice and bring back a reply.

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