By Noel Towell and Kishor Napier-Raman
Supporters of controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo, currently facing a hearing by the Health Care Complaints Commission into allegations of unsatisfactory conduct, say he’s something of a martyr, hounded by jealous doctors, and a conservative medical establishment.
Teo himself has railed against the “tall-poppy syndrome” alive and well in the medical fraternity, which has calcified into an “agenda to destroy Charlie Teo”.
Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo feels he’s a victim of Australia’s tall poppy syndrome.Credit: Nick Moir
High-profile supporters, including boxer Anthony Mundine and former test cricket captain Steve Waugh, turned up at Teo’s hearing this week to show support.
In the meantime, Teo is acquainting himself with the work of right-wing cancel culture types. Appearing on a podcast with businessman and former Celebrity Apprentice host Mark Bouris, Teo cited another discussion between infamous provocateurs Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson.
“You know Jordan Peterson? Did you listen to his interview with Joe Rogan?” Teo asked Bouris.
“He’s going through the same thing I’m going through . . . that whole tall poppy thing.”
In the same episode, Teo questioned the “conservative” views of most doctors around vaccines.
“We [doctors] were told you couldn’t say anything bad about the vaccine,” he said.
In 2019, Teo also appeared on a podcast with celebrity chef turned conspiracy theorist Pete Evans, and discussed his long-held concerns about the potential links between mobile phone usage and brain cancer. He resisted Evans’s attempts to get him to attack 5G technology.
Whatever happens with the hearing this week, there’s always an alternative career as a talking head in the waiting, should Teo want it.
JOY DERISION
Tom Morris, the Fox Footy reporter sacked last year over homophobic comments about a colleague at the Rupert Murdoch-owned network looks close to a comeback with the prospect firming of a show on Craig Hutchison’s SEN radio station this coming footy season, probably as a co-host with his former Fox colleague Sarah Olle.
Hutchison himself has been laying some groundwork, with a plea in the US-owned tabloid The Herald Sun on Thursday for Morris to be given another chance.
Morris has reportedly undergone some education on sexism, racism and other social issues over the past year and, in fairness, at 31-years-old, it’s not like he’s a Sam Newman-style hopeless case.
He also had an interview on LGBTQI radio Joy FM scheduled for the coming weeks, but someone at the station clearly had second thoughts.
“This was being considered,” Joy Media’s David “Macca” McCarthy, told us.
“We acknowledge Tom’s journey as a necessary one. However, we are mindful of the trauma associated with this issue and as our obligations as a community radio station and resource – we are not going to proceed as we feel it has the potential to amplify that trauma to our audience and community ”
Morris, who has not spoken publicly since last year, could not be contacted for comment and Hutchison did not respond to a request for comment.
WATCH AND ACT
Reserve Bank boss Philip Lowe seems genuinely shocked at the way he’s become a kind of punching bag for people mad about spiralling interest rates.
RBA Governor Philip Lowe.Credit: Shakespeare
And at an appearance before Senate estimates on Wednesday, Lowe, who’s suddenly copping heat over his circa $1 million pay packet, clearly looked to be adopting a more humble sartorial appearance.
Lowe normally wears an IWC around his wrist – the kind of timepiece that retails in the thousands. On Wednesday, he had a more budget-friendly Fossil watch. But an eagle-eyed observer noted the watch still displayed the date as the 10th, a good five days off.
Maybe the budget end of the watch rotation doesn’t get much of a spin, saved for the inquisitors of Senate estimates, while the flashy IWC comes out for the Barrenjoey banker bros.
Watch this space: RBA Governor Philip Lowe fronts Senate estimates on Wednesday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
BLUE MOON
It is with a heavy heart that we bring news that wannabe Liberal MP Lucas Moon will not be bringing his entertaining campaign style to the race to contest the byelection for the eastern suburbs seat of Aston – left vacant by the retiring Alan Tudge.
Looks like Moon has read the room – the party hierarchy wants a woman to contest the seat as a belated first step to tackle the Liberals’ women problem – and serious female contenders already have their hand in the ring.
Maybe a senior party figure had a word in Moon’s ear, but, if they did, he wasn’t letting on to CBD on Thursday.
“I’m a team player and the captains have a view on what sort of person they want in there,” the anti-pokies campaigner said.
Besides, with a young family to think of, Moon has decided that the Canberra commute probably isn’t for him after all, and a spot in state parliament would be more his speed. Just got to find a vacant seat now.
FIGHTING FIT
Strange but true, struggling fitness franchise F45 can still find people to put money into it, despite heavy losses, looming class actions and separate legal stoushes with some of its “has been” sporting ambassadors.
Stranger still, Australian co-founder Adam Gilchrist (not the cricketer) and Hollywood frontman-for-hire Mark Wahlberg have survived a board purge by New York private equity outfit who have pumped about $130 million into keeping the franchise outfit afloat.
Former NAB and Westpac banker Ben Coates will also stick around on the board but it’s losing much of its antipodean flavour with Australians Vanessa Douglas, Canstar chief technical officer Angelo Demasi and fitness guru Lee Wallace resigning their seats, according to the company’s official statement, and being replaced by a clutch of Americans.
Another Australian, co-founder Rob Deutsch who tapped out of F45 three years ago and is now to be found more in the real estate pages than the business sections, gave the company a free public appraisal last year, accusing it of “terrible financial mismanagement” by paying big name “has beens” like Greg Norman and David Beckham millions of dollars to act as brand ambassadors.
But the boys from the Big Apple obviously like their chances of licking the cult-like fitness franchise into shape.
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