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A Queensland psychologist has been accused of allegedly making inappropriate or sexualised comments to five colleagues and touching one of the women without consent.
The Psychology Board of Australia asked the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) to find Mackay psychologist Craig Watson engaged in professional misconduct or unsatisfactory professional conduct between 2019 and 2022.
Watson was accused of allegedly making inappropriate and/or sexualised comments to five female colleagues in 2019 and 2020.
During that same period, he allegedly made inappropriate and non-consensual contact with one of those colleagues on two occasions.
The psychologist will also face allegations he breached client confidentiality by disclosing information to clinical and non-clinical staff, failed to ensure continuity of care for a 14-year-old client, and failed to maintain adequate client records for a separate client.
During a hearing to make non-publication orders for material or evidence that would lead to the identification of patients and witnesses, Watson applied to have the order include his identity.
Watson submitted the orders would be “incompatible” with seeking to protect patients and witnesses if his name was disclosed.
He went on to argue Mackay is a “small rural town” and people within the health profession “are known to each other”.
The board rejected this submission, telling the tribunal Mackay is not a small town and the healthcare and social assistance “is the region’s largest employment sector”.
It added there was a “large staff turnover” at the relevant workplace and any potential identification of the witnesses “would be no more than an unconfirmed assumption or inference”.
QCAT was also told there is “far stronger public interest” in Watson being identified and “no real and substantial risk” his identification would lead to the identification of the witnesses.
“The tribunal has evidence that Mackay is not a small town, there are thousands of jobs in the region’s healthcare and social assistance sector and there was a large staff turnover at the particular psychological service provider.
“In those circumstances, I am not satisfied that the publication of the respondent’s name is likely to lead to identifying the witnesses who were his colleagues,” QCAT deputy president Judge Geraldine Dann said.
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Harassment is defined as persistent behaviour or acts that intimidate, threaten, or uncomfortably affect other employees at work. Because of anti-discrimination laws and the Fair Work Act of 2009, harassment in Australia is prohibited on the basis of protected characteristics.
