An anti-vaccination doctor who helped parents dodge compulsory jabs has been suspended by medical authorities.
General Practitioner Dr John Piesse had his medical registration suspended on Thursday by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency after a meeting.
The board are continuing their investigation into the doctor, whose clinic in Mitcham in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs was raided on Friday.
An anti-vaccination doctor (pictured) who helped parents dodge compulsory jabs has been suspended by medical authorities
General Practitioner Dr John Piesse had his medical registration suspended on Thursday by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency after a meeting regarding his insistence on making vaccination (picture, stock image) exemptions
Dr Piesse confirmed the suspension and told Daily Mail Australia he is the victim of a ‘political witchhunt’.
‘It was a predetermined outcome due to political pressure,’ he said.
‘The is a belief that the healthiest kids – those who have not been vaccinated – are a danger to other kids, but of course there is no evidence for that.’
A woman from Dr Piesse’s clinic said they had been ‘supporting’ 600 families thanks to his work.
The clinic of Melbourne doctor John Piesse (pictured) who boasted about getting children out of compulsory vaccinations was raided by police and the medical regulator on Friday
After news of the investigation into Dr Piesse broke, the anti-vaxxer community launched a fundraiser to raise $100,000 to help him retain his medical registration.
Dr Piesse worked at the raided clinic – the Nerida James Natural Healing Centre – before he agreed to stop practising medicine.
‘There is no doubt I am being personally targeted by the government,’ Dr Piesse told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I wasn’t present when the raid took place but they confiscated computers and caused mayhem,’ he said.
Dr Piesse believes he is acting within his legal rights and says the government ‘does not respect its own laws’.
General Practitioner Dr John Piesse had his medical registration suspended on Thursday by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency after a meeting (pictured is Dr Piesse’s clinic, which was raided on Friday)
‘There is a legal clause in the Public Health and Welfare Act saying doctors can give exemptions,’ he said.
He said vaccination science in general is ‘woeful’ and more studies need to be done.
‘The government doesn’t want to discuss it, they just want to attack and destroy,’ he said.
‘Thousands of children have had their lives destroyed by vaccinations – I fear for the well being of our children and future generations.’
Dr Piesse believes raids like Friday morning’s prevent doctors from doing what they believe is right.
‘There are very few doctors willing to do it [make vaccination exemptions] because they’ll get attacked. Doctors don’t dare do it.’
Dr John Piesse (pictured) worked at the raided clinic – the Nerida James Natural Healing Centre – before he agreed to stop practising medicine
A spokesperson from AHPRA confirmed their staff attended a premises on Friday.
‘Because this was part of an ongoing investigation we cannot comment further,’ they said.
Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy has previously expressed concerns about Dr Piesse, and says children’s health and safety are being put at risk, The Age reported.
‘His arrogant boasts against vaccination are frustrating and irresponsible,’ said Ms Hennessy.
‘It is completely irresponsible for people – particularly clinicians who are entrusted with the health of our community – to ignore the science and encourage parents not to immunise their children.’
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has said the government is prepared to come down hard on doctors who oppose vaccination.
‘There will be no sympathy, none at all, from the government if the authorities take the strongest possible decisions,’ he said.
Dr Piesse entered into the agreement with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency on August 31 while they investigate claims against him.
It came a week after the GP declared he would continue to advise people on vaccination exemptions ‘until they deregister’ him.
Dr Piesse agreed to stop practising in the interim and could still have his licence suspended pending the health authorities’ enquiries.
Dr Piesse, second left at the back, spoke at a screening of controversial documentary Vaxxed earlier this month and reportedly told attendees that doctors can get around both ‘no jab no play’ and ‘no jab no pay’ regulations
He is among three general practitioners who are currently under investigation after allegedly offering services to parents who are against vaccinations, according to the Herald Sun.
Dr Piesse has reportedly seen at least 450 children since 2015, but said he had not provided a letter of exemption against immunisations for ‘every one’, The Age reported.
He was advised on August 31 that his medical registration could be suspended while the investigation occurred.
Adamant that he had ‘tried to help’ and had done nothing illegal, Dr Piesse stated last week that he planned to continue advising parents.
‘I will… until they basically deregister me… unless I can be persuaded that what I am doing is wrong,’ he said.
The Melbourne GP was previously captured on camera at an anti-vaccination film screening bragging about helping hundreds of families.
He was filmed telling attendees that doctors can get around both ‘no jab no play’ and ‘no jab no pay’ regulations, with the clip subsequently posted on an anti-vaccination Facebook page.
Adamant that he had ‘tried to help’ and had done nothing illegal, Dr Piesse had previously said that he would continue advising parents until he was ‘deregistered’ (stock photo)
‘I am a doctor who has been working hard for 18 months to try and help parents get exemption from ‘vaccinated pain for vaccinated play,’ with mixed success,’ he claimed.
‘I want you to know it is possible to get the exemption so there is hope,’ he told the crowd.
Naturapathic physician Nerida James – who is Dr Piesse’s colleague – also spoke at the screening to tell of the families they had helped.
‘We can support you. We have been supporting about 600 families thanks to Dr John Piesse,’ she said.
Dr Piesse reportedly had reportedly explained that parents needed a doctor’s letter of ‘contrary indication’ to help children avoid vaccinations.
Legislation introduced in 2016 means childcare services must now obtain evidence of a child’s immunisation history or note for medical exemption, before enrolment.
After news of the investigation into Dr Piesse broke, the anti-vaxxer community raised nearly $100,000 to help him retain his medical registration.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and Victoria Police reportedly searched the clinic in Mitcham (pictured), in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, on Friday morning