12 DECEMBER 2025
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TWO IN THIS ISSUE
The dark soul of machine therapy NEWS REVIEW, PAGE 40
Mitral regurgitation HOW TO TREAT, PAGE 29
Professor Brendan Murphy on specialist fees NEWS, PAGE 5
Measles and travel THERAPY UPDATE, PAGE 38
Westfield killings under the glare of hindsight
Victims’ families want psychiatrist investigated.
Heather Saxena and Paul Smith SHOULD a doctor be investigated by AHPRA for becoming“ belligerent” as she is grilled over her management of a patient who years later went on to commit a horrifying act?
It is one question a coroner has been left to grapple with as the inquest into the killing of six people with a pigging knife at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney last year wraps up.
They died at the hands of Joel Cauchi in a killing rampage which came to an end only when he was shot dead by a police officer.
Their families want his onetime psychiatrist investigated over her care and her suggestion during the inquest that her former patient was not psychotic at the time of the attack.
“ I honestly believe, that is my opinion, that it was nothing to do with psychosis,” Dr Andrea Boros- Lavack had originally told the court back in May.
“ It might have been to do with frustration, sexual frustration, pornography and hatred towards women.”
The next day, she retracted her comments, saying she had become frustrated by questioning by the lawyer representing the families of three of the victims.
But whether the apology will be enough is unclear.
‘ Genuinely shocking’
Last month, final submissions were made to the Coroners Court of NSW.
The senior counsel assisting the inquest, Peggy Dwyer SC, acknowledged the retraction but described Dr Boros-Lavack’ s original claims as“ genuinely shocking”, saying they had caused much distress to
the families of the victims. resulted in so much tragedy.
Dr Boros-Lavack’ s testimony displayed an“ exceptional level of belland doctor had managed him over
The Toowoomba-based Queensligerence and confrontation” and a period of some seven years, beginning in 2012. failed to accept responsibility for deficiencies in her care, she continued, adding that the evidence was at times“ frankly confusing”.
It is worth stressing here
— Peggy Dwyer SC that whatever her failures, Dr Boros-Lavack last treated Mr Cauchi in 2019, five years before Although diagnosed with schizophrenia, it has been accepted that the Westfield attack. But it seems one of the central he never met the threshold for involuntary treatment across 100 consults questions for the inquest remains whether the failings in Mr Cauchi’ s during that time. psychiatric management were
But it was in 2018 that Dr Borosthe sliding doors moment that
Lavack decided to try to help Mr
‘ Her original claims were genuinely shocking.’
Dr Andrea Boros-Lavack.
AAP
Cauchi wean off his clozapine medication and, some months later, aripiprazole.
It did not work out as hoped, and after his mother reported he was deteriorating and hearing voices discussing“ satanic control”, Dr Boros-Lavack tried to persuade Mr Cauchi to recommence. He refused. Shortly after, he left Toowoomba for Brisbane.
Dr Boros-Lavack, a private psychiatrist, discharged him into the care of his GP; however, she did not disclose his mother’ s concerns about his behaviour to the GP.
From that point, Mr PAGE 3
‘ Rude’ doctor loses case
Heather Saxena A FERTILITY doctor sacked for being rude to patients and staff has lost a $ 3.8 million case against the corporate that fired her, Primary Health Care.
Primary took over the doctor’ s Sydney practice for $ 1.4 million 10 years ago under its Primary IVF brand.
In return, the doctor signed a seven-year contract to work at two bulk-billing clinics, with a clause that she“ act in a harmonious way with other practitioners and staff”.
Complaints began‘ almost from the outset’.
But complaints about her behaviour towards staff and patients began“ almost from the outset”, the Supreme Court of NSW was told.
One patient lodged a complaint alleging the doctor had called her husband a“ drunk” and blamed him for their fertility issues because he drank seven beers a month, Justice Kelly Rees said.
Another patient, who had told the doctor she wanted her GP to manage her pregnancy going forward, alleged she responded by throwing a referral pad into the back of a desk.
Justice Rees said that Primary IVF collected anonymous patient survey responses, which variously called the doctor“ absolutely terrifying”,“ a monster” and“ very, very angry”.
Of eight survey responses provided as evidence, one called the doctor and her nursing colleagues“ amazing”— the others were negative.
Justice Rees heard that managers had spoken to the doctor about the complaints, PAGE 4