Prominent physiotherapy academic Darren Rivett banned from practising over unwanted sexual advances towards much younger colleague

A prominent physiotherapy academic has faced the Physiotherapy Board of Australia over his behaviour toward a much younger colleague in an SA hotel room after a conference.

Professor Darren Rivett held senior roles at the University of Newcastle prior to his retirement. Picture: Roni Bintang/Getty Images

A prominent physiotherapy academic has been banned from practising after he kissed, licked and inappropriately touched a much younger colleague in his hotel room after a conference.

Professor Darren Anthony Rivett, 62, helped to develop the physiotherapy code of conduct, which he was ultimately found to have breached.

The unwanted sexual advances occurred after Mr Rivett, from NSW, and the young woman both attended a professional conference in Adelaide in 2019.

University of Newcastle. Photo by Roni Bintang

That night, the pair, who had no prior relationship, attended an event together where they spoke about the young woman’s career aspirations and Mr Rivett’s ability to help her progress.

They planned to go to the casino before Mr Rivett invited her back to his hotel room, a SA Civil and Administrative Tribunal Judgement said.

“She accompanied him thinking that the professional interaction would continue and not expecting or wanting any sexual advance by Mr Rivett,” it said.

After continuing a mostly professional conversation in the hotel room, Mr Rivett was found by the Tribunal to have kissed the woman. She returned the kiss because she did not know how to extricate herself from the situation, but she kept her body rigid.

He pushed her onto the bed and began to undress her but she tried to redress herself and told him “oh no I don’t really want to take this off” and “I don’t really want this to happen,” the Judgment said.

The tribunal found that Mr Rivett should have stopped at this point but over the next 8-10 minutes, he called the woman a “naughty schoolgirl”, pushed her backwards onto the bed, and touched her in an unwanted and sexually inappropriate way.

She pushed him off and left the room, before the matter was reported to police and Mr Rivett was arrested – but no charges were laid.

The Physiotherapy Board of Australia referred the matter to the tribunal, which found Mr Rivett had engaged in professional misconduct.

Last month, he was reprimanded and banned from registering or practising as a health practitioner for two years.

The Judgement said the incident was isolated, and Mr Rivett is otherwise a person of good standing. However, it said he did not understand that ethical standards applied beyond the workplace.

“There is no evidence that he is remorseful, that he has any insight, that he has an understanding of the harm of his behaviour or that he has taken any steps to address his behaviour,” it said.

Mr Rivett, who rejects the tribunal’s findings, was instrumental in establishing a school of physiotherapy at the University of Newcastle and occupied senior leadership roles at the university.

In late 2020/early 2021 – after the incident – Mr Rivett retired from the university and since then has not worked in any further paid capacity.