Optometrist Jason Michael Didone allowed to continue practising after inappropriately touching eight female colleagues

An optometrist who inappropriately touched eight female colleagues has been granted permission to resume practising after pinning his behaviour on his upbringing.

An optometrist who inappropriately touched eight female colleagues can resume practising, after his Italian upbringing was blamed for his unwelcome behaviour.

Jason Michael Didone was working at a retail practice when the female colleagues began making reports about his behaviour, which left them feeling uncomfortable.

Mr Didone was asked several times to stop touching them before his employment was terminated in February 2021, and his registration was suspended by the Optometry Board of Australia in May of that year.

A judgement published by the SA Civil and Administrative Tribunal said the women reported Mr Didone had massaged and hugged them, as well as touched them on their shoulders, face, breast, buttocks, hands, waist and hips.

Mr Didone continued the inappropriate physical conduct despite being advised multiple times that it was unwelcome and made his colleagues feel uncomfortable.

A psychology report presented to the tribunal concluded his conduct towards the women “could be explained by his Italian upbringing”, including the normalisation of public displays of affection.

“We accept ... that Mr Didone is a relatively young and inexperienced practitioner, who has had a fairly limited and sheltered background, in the sense that he appears to have largely socialised within his family and with longstanding friends, thereby probably limiting his exposure to wider appreciations of acceptable professional conduct,” the judgement said.

It went on to remark there was no “nefarious or sexually predatory motive” behind Mr Didone’s actions.

In a separate incident, Mr Didone tracked a colleague’s location on an app when she was absent from work and said to others “I don’t think she’s sick”.

The tribunal found “significant absence of both insight by Mr Didone into his behaviour and his professional relationships, and real lack of respect for his female colleagues”.

He was found to have engaged in professional misconduct and was reprimanded in the tribunal decision.

Following his suspension, Mr Didone worked at a Salvos store and received supportive references from current colleagues.

Noting that Mr Didone had developed insight into his conduct, the three-member tribunal agreed to revoke the suspension imposed in 2021.

It imposed conditions on his registration, including that he practise only from locations approved by the board and he be indirectly supervised while at work.