Dan's Journal of Skepticism

Meryl Dorey of the heavily discredited Australian Vaccination Skeptics Network will be speaking at the upcoming Healthy Lifestyle Expo in Queensland despite objections from local health authorities. Despite being fully aware that Ms Dorey will disseminate false and misleading medical advice, the event organiser is pushing ahead.

THE state’s top health experts have called for the Australian Vaccination Skeptics Network to be barred from disseminating information at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo, arguing their views were dangerous and inaccurate.

…

AMA Queensland president-elect Shaun Rudd said the group should not present information at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo, as their views were “far from healthy’’.

“Anti-vaccination has nothing to do with a healthy lifestyle,’’ Dr Rudd said. “It promotes the chance of kids getting a serious illness or death.’’

The state’s Chief Health Officer, Jeannette Young, said she supported moves to limit the ability of the group to communicate inaccurate information about immunisation.

Expo organiser Wayne Pina-Roozemond said while Ms Dorey’s views were possibly dangerous, he defended the group’s right to put their view at the expo. –The Courier Mail, 13th May 2014

Meryl Dorey has put out a call for someone to debate her at the expo, her request was answered by Peter Bowditch.

The anti-vaxxers became ecstatic about the offer and before Peter even had time to repond to the offer in full Meryl Dorey went on the attack, because that’s how anti-vaxxers make friends. Ms Dorey was upset the Peter still hadn’t responded to his formal invitation from the expo organisers after a week, despite the fact that he was still well before the deadline for a required response.

She even paid Facebook to advertise a defamatory article she wrote about him.

Peter Bowditch did eventually decline to attend the debate which I think is a good move considering the amount of venom spitting from Dorey and her fellow anti-vaxxers. The Australian Vaccination Skeptics Network formerly known as the Australian Vaccination Network has a long history of harassing and threatening people who oppose their views.

Reasonable Hank has documented a few such incidents: Death threats and threats of harm incited by the Australian Vaccination Network

I have personally received an email from one of Meryl Doreys friends in the US. Which asked for the following:

Below are additional sets of questions I have about you, and your activities in the SAVN.

In addition to my first set, comprised of the following: 

(1)   “a current photo of yourself, your home address, your work address, your employer’s name, your immediate supervisor at work’s name,” I would like a photo of each of your vehicles, including the license plate numbers and a brief description of where you park them both at home and at work.

(2)   I want to know who paid your legal fees regarding the AVO.

(3)   I want to know where, and when, specifically, SAVN meetings are held, who usually attends them (specific names). 

(4)   I want to know who funds the SAVN.

(5)   I want to know how many members of the SAVN control group are male homosexual?  What are their average ages?  How many are AIDS infected?

(6)   I want to know about your general plan for the SAVN’s attack on Meryl Dorey and the AVN.  Are you planning more threats of death, violence, rape, mutilation?

(7)   What did you mean when you used the word “clients” in a recent message on the misc..health.alternative discussion group.

I’ll be back with more.

This email came from a man who has publicly advocated attacking Ms Doreys critics with baseball bats and assault rifles.

So given the current and past hostility aimed at critics I think its wise that Peter not walk into a venue full of Dorey supporters.

The New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission has issued the following warning against the countrys leading health menace.

The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission has completed an investigation into the Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network, Inc. (‘AVN’), formerly known as Australian Vaccination Network Inc and under section 94A(1) of the Health Care Complaints Act has decided to make the following public statement and warning. The Commission investigated whether information published and disseminated by AVN may be misleading or inaccurate.

AVN was established in 1994 in New South Wales by a group of people concerned about the lack of scientifically-based information cautioning against vaccination. AVN states on its website that the government and the medical community, in general, “exaggerate the safety and benefit profiles of vaccinations whilst downplaying their risks.” AVN states it was formed with the purpose of:

• providing medically-referenced information on vaccine safety and effectiveness
• lobbying to ensure that vaccinations are never made compulsory for Australian children
• supporting those who have chosen not to vaccinate or to vaccinate selectively.

AVN disseminates information to the public via a variety of mediums. These include its website, www.avn.org.au, the magazine entitled ‘Living Wisdom’ (which ceased publication in January 2013), its Facebook page, Twitter account and YouTube. Meryl Dorey, the former President, has also held a number of radio interviews.

The Commission investigation focussed on information provided on AVN’s website and some information disseminated on AVN’s Facebook page.

Public warning
The Commission has established that AVN does not provide reliable information in relation to certain vaccines and vaccination more generally. The Commission considers that AVN’s dissemination of misleading, misrepresented and incorrect information about vaccination engenders fear and alarm and is likely to detrimentally affect the clinical management or care of its readers.

Given the issues identified with the information disseminated by AVN, the Commission urges general caution is exercised when using AVN’s website or Facebook page to research vaccination and to consult other reliable sources, including speaking to a medical practitioner, to make an informed decision.

The Commission has recommended that AVN amend its published information with regard to the above issues and the Commission will monitor the implementation of these recommendations.

Further information

Read the full public warning.
If you have any questions, please contact the Health Care Complaints Commission, on 9219 7444 or send an email tomedia@hccc.nsw.gov.au.

–NSW HCCC, 30th April 2014

The AVN has responded with hostility accusing the Health Care Complaints Commission of corruption and incompetence by saying.

In a move that displays the worst of medical politics, the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) has once again issued a public warning against the Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network, Inc. (AVN). This office and the way in which they have carried out their ‘investigation’ are an absolute disgrace. They have made themselves into a laughing stock. Far worse, they have clearly demonstrated that nobody can have faith in any statements made by this government body when they continue to rely upon verifiably incorrect and biased information.

Several years ago, the HCCC conducted a year-long ‘investigation’ into our citizen-run healthcare consumer watchdog group. They did this at the behest of the Australian Skeptics and their splinter group, Stop the AVN – organisations with close ties to pharmaceutical and mainstream medical interests. -Meryl Dorey, 1st May 2014

Contrary to Ms Doreys claims, Stop the AVN receives no funding from any government body or pharmaceutical company. It is a volunteer run group of concerned citizens dedicated to shutting down her organisation and protecting the public from the misinformation spread by the Australian Vaccination Skeptics Network.

During the course of the investigation the AVN attempted to identify the HCCCs experts. We don’t know why, but given the AVNs history of harassing and abusing anyone who blows the whistle on them we can probably guess their most likely motive.

The latest moves by Australian regulators should send a clear message to Ms Dorey and the AVN that you cannot simply lie, cheat and bully your way out of the law.