Dr Michael Woodburn suing Austin Health alleging he has been discriminated against because of his sex

A Melbourne doctor has launched legal action in a case he says “is going to be extremely unpopular, but I think it needs to be heard”.

Dr Michael Woodburn alleges colleagues discriminated against him because of his sex. Picture: Facebook

A male doctor is suing Austin Health and has reported a nurse to police amid complaints he was the victim of repeated workplace harassment “because he was a man”.

Dr Michael Woodburn reported the female nurse to the cops, the anti-corruption watchdog and the health regulator over a neck massage he claimed was sexual harassment.

Victoria Police declined to lay charges, but he’s now taken Austin Health to the civil tribunal for discrimination and tried to add five colleagues as co-accused.

Dr Woodburn told the Herald Sun “this case is going to be extremely unpopular, but I think it needs to be heard”.

According to his claim, Dr Woodburn says “over a period of months and years he was discriminated against because he was a man, and victimised about complaints that he made about this, and about being sexually harassed”.

His complaints “related to a large number of employees (at Austin Health), in various roles, many more than those (five people) named in the application”.

Dr Woodburn claims he was discriminated against because he was a man. Picture: iStock

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal documents show he claimed a nurse in 2021 “massaged his neck and shoulders without his consent, and that this was sexual harassment”, and that afterwards, he was treated “unfavourably” and “victimised”.

Austin Health’s lawyer said this was denied by the nurse, but in any case, it didn’t amount to sexual harassment or victimisation.

In another complaint, Dr Woodburn claimed a registrar “slapped him hard on the back of the neck” just days after he’d made comments about his girlfriend “which she objected to”.

He alleged further “physical assaults” where the same registrar, who he was working under, jabbed at him with her finger to get his attention, scratched him, grabbed his forearm and dragged him out of a room.

She did this, he said, “to control and subordinate him, and to punish him for his perceived lack of interest in her”.

“His allegation was that (the registrar) engaged in sex discrimination because a substantial reason for her poor treatment of him was her jealousy about being outshone by him, a man,” tribunal documents read.

Last week, tribunal deputy president Genevieve Nihill rejected Dr Woodburn’s bid to add five colleagues as respondents in his case, who he alleged had all discriminated against him because of his sex.

In an email, Dr Woodburn told the Herald Sun there was an “enormous number of rumours that supported the idea that Austin Health was a workplace that was sexist against men” and that “many male staff members seemed to disappear suddenly”.

“Male staff members who have been discriminated against don’t disclose it, because they will be retaliated against,” he said.

“The violence and false allegations that I was subjected to as a junior doctor at Austin Health were horrific, and the effects on my life and career have been devastating. No doctor should ever be treated this way, nor should any employee in Australia.”

The civil case – in its “early stages” – will head to a compulsory conference to see if the dispute can be resolved.

Austin Health, through its lawyer Rick Catanzariti, did not wish to comment.

Dr Woodburn is currently self-represented and seeking a pro-bono lawyer.