Last week, HRLA client Dr Jereth Kok finally had his day in court.

After five long years of uncertainty, he got the chance to defend his right to speak publicly and freely about his personal religious and political convictions during his five-day trial in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal (VCAT).

This is what his senior barrister Stephen Moloney had to say about the case:

“This is probably one of the most important cases that has ever been put to the Tribunal in the last 30 years. It goes to the democratic right of any practitioner in the State of Victoria to speak about matters of conscience, religion and medical practice in the public square”.

Jereth is a qualified medical doctor with 15 years’ experience who has had to retrain in another career in order to provide for his wife and young family after the Medical Board of Victoria suspended his medical licence for his social media posts. The Board alleges that Jereth was guilty of misconduct because of his internet posts over a 15-year period.

During the five-day trial, Jereth gave evidence for an entire day.

He argued that he should have the freedom to speak publicly on issues that are important to him, and rejected the assertion that his posts might undermine confidence in the health profession.

The Tribunal heard evidence from expert witnesses on topics such as the rights of doctors to oppose abortion and speak about transgender ideology and LGBTQ+ politics. The boundaries of the role of a medical regulator to police humour and satire on the internet were also examined.

The evidence is now complete, and the next step will be for parties to make their closing submissions to the VCAT in mid-October 2024.

There’s still time to support Jereth by pledging your prayer and financial support at his GiveSendGo page which can be accessed here.