Media release

02 Aug 2013

A Victorian chiropractor's registration has been cancelled after a three year battle by the Chiropractic Board of Australia.

Practitioner’s registration cancelled in legal win for Board

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has today backed the Chiropractic Board of Australia’s commitment to protect the public and cancelled the registration of chiropractor Dr Malcolm Hooper.

The Board prosecuted the case against Dr Hooper in the tribunal for three years, in one of the most protracted legal actions in health practitioner regulation in Australia.

‘The VCAT decision sends a clear message: the Board will not tolerate chiropractors who provide treatment that puts the public at risk and is not in their patients’ best interests,’ Board Chair, Dr Phillip Donato OAM said.

The VCAT decision reprimanded Dr Hooper and:

• cancelled his registration as a chiropractor 
• disqualified him from reapplying for registration as a chiropractor for two years, and 
• ordered all costs against him.

The decision will be published on the Austlii website shortly.

The tribunal earlier found that Dr Hooper engaged in three counts of professional misconduct, five counts of unprofessional conduct and in misleading and deceptive advertising.

Dr Donato praised the courage and commitment of the patient, who was extremely vulnerable and living with a significant disability, in bringing the matter to the attention of the Board, through the Victorian Health Services Commissioner.

‘The role of the National Board is to protect the public. This decision is a powerful symbol of the length the Board will go to do that,’ Dr Donato said.

For more information

• Lodge an online enquiry form
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 8708 9001 (overseas callers) 
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

Download a PDF of this Media release - 2 August 2013 (183 KB,PDF)