Robert Messenger

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Robert Messenger, born in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia on 26 October 1962, is a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and represents the Electoral district of Burnett.

On 8 February 2007 Mr Messenger was censured by the Queensland Parliament for unparliamentary conduct.^[1]

He was approached by Toni Hoffman, an experienced surgical nurse, distressed about one of the surgeons at the Bundaberg Base Hospital where she worked. She had previously consulted with hospital management with no success; her experiences are outlined in Australian Story.

As a result of a long discussion with Hoffman, he named Jayant Patel under Parliamentary privilege. He can be credited for bringing the name of Jayant Patel forward and beginning the process of stopping his activities at the Bundaberg Hospital.

Though he, like Hoffman, was criticised at first for his actions, shortly afterwards it was discovered by Courier Mail journalist Hedley Thomas that Patel had previously been charged with misconduct in the United States.

Patel's activities subsequently came into the public arena and he eventually became the central figure in the "Dr. Death" scandal which resulted in a Commission of Inquiry.

Rob Messenger has been accused by victims of Dr Patel of misleading them and exploiting them for political advantage.^[2]. Mr Messenger has been banned by the Bundaberg Patient Support Group from attending their meetings because "his scare-mongering became too much".^[3]

The barrister mediating the claims, Ian Hanger QC, has said that Rob Messenger is causing "undue alarm",^[4] and that "he's undermining the process and as the mediator that concerns me."^[5]

Mr Messenger has been accused by victims of "exaggerating the severity of cases for his own political benefit and tabling private information about cases in parliament."^[6]

[edit] External links

• Web Page
• Shadow Minister for the Environment
• Stateline Report

[edit] References