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Victoria's population was 6.5 million on 30 June 2018. It is the second largest state in Australia by population but has been growing more than any other state or territory in Australia by 2.5 percent per annum. The cities of greater Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo are projected to account for around half of all regional [...]

As a doctor, I am privileged to be given a window into the lives of many of the patients that I meet. For the duration of the time they spend with me, I don't just get to know about their symptoms but also about the backstory to these symptoms. Often there is a lot of [...]

Like many surgeons, my clinic fields many enquiries from workcover patients. I am one of the surgeons that does not turn them away but I have to be frank and tell you that I often get exasperated by certain aspects of looking after workcover patients, especially those who reside in regional Victoria. Among the reasons [...]

Every Australian citizen or permanent resident can seek free treatment in public hospitals anywhere in Australia courtesy of Medicare but public hospitals have long (sometimes ridiculousy long) waiting lists for many elective surgeries and you generally won't get a say in who does your surgery. The alternative is to "go private" and choose your surgeon [...]

It is nearly five years since I started a monthly neurosurgery clinic in south west Victoria. Over the years, the clinic has moved from Portland to Hamilton, expanded from one to two days per month and is now drawing patients from Mount Gambier as well as surrounding Victorian towns. Most significantly, I can now provide [...]

If you have come to this page, it is more than likely that you have read or heard the publicity about my successful civil action for workplace sexual harassment in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in 2007. At the time, the VCAT result was published in newspapers around the country but overall caused [...]

"Down! Down!" the fisherman yelled while pushing my head firmly down towards the floor of the little bangka. He was trying to keep his little boat alongside the outrigger ferry boat while passengers continued to clamber onboard for the transfer to the mainland and each time the boat bobbed in the waves, my head came [...]

I am really enjoying working at Hamilton Hospital. The staff here are great and the hospital environment too. I could not resist taking this photo of the courtyard at the hospital over lunch today. I don't know of any other hospital with a lotus pond, do you? It's a tranquil and pretty spot to sit [...]

I first took up scuba diving in the waters of Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. To be honest, I didn't experience the Bay at its best. In fact, I recall one of my first boat dives brought up comparisons to being in the spin cycle of a washing machine. And the water was only 15 degrees [...]