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Promoting medico-legal knowledge and the fostering of professional and collegiate scholarship since 1931.

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Membership of the Medico-Legal Society of Victoria Inc. is open to Australian Lawyers within the meaning of the Legal Profession Uniform Law and Medical Practitioners holding General or Specialist registration under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law.

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Download the 2025 meeting syllabus by clicking here

 

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Dr Peter Larkins – July 26, 2025

‘Sports injuries, especially concussion, and a comparison of frequency and severity in men cf. women’

Location: General Meeting to be held at the Melbourne Club.
Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
Time: 6.30 pm – 11.30 pm
Dress: Black tie

Acceptances close July 17, 2025

From Little Athletics to Olympic Games and World championships Dr Peter Larkins has seen it all at elite sport level.

He has been a doctor for the Australian athletics, cricket, triathlon, and lacrosse teams at the highest level. He was Medical Team Leader at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games main stadium and currently is one of 8 global advisers for medical care at the World Ironman triathlon competitions.

Peter will share some of his career experiences in sport and reflect on the challenges associated with elite athlete care in the current modern era. He believes the scrutiny and pressures place on professional working in the sports medicine arena have never been greater and have resulted in many senior practitioners moving away from elite athlete care roles.

Dr Peter Larkins has been a pioneer of sportsmedicine in Australia. He established the first solo specialist sports physician practice in Australia in 1980. Peter completed his medical degree at the Alfred hospital in Melbourne and his residency program at Prince Henry’s Hospital.

During his training Peter was awarded the Hume Turnbull research Fellowship and was the inaugural Sir Robert Menzies Travelling Fellow in sports medicine, which allowed him to study sports medicine emerging trends in Canada, the USA, the UK and East Africa.

He is a past National President of Sports Medicine Australia, Australia’s peak advisory body on health and fitness matters. Peter is a Founding Fellow of the Australasian College of Sports & Exercise Physicians and has been an officer bearer at Board level as well as on the College Senior Examiners Panel and Board of Censors.

Peter represented Australia for nine years as a member of the national track & field team, including competing at Olympic, Commonwealth and World Cup competitions. He was Australian team captain in 1983.

He is regularly invited speaker on topics related to health, fitness and sports injuries. For 21 years Peter was the “go to” authority on AFL injuries in his various media roles with Triple and 3AW radio broadcasts as well as channel 9, channel 7 and Fox Footy Channels.

He has appeared on countless TV segments including every nightly news channel, Sunrise, the Today Show, A Current Affair, 7.30 report, SBS Insight and The Project. He also had a regular weekly column in the Herald Sun, Australia’s largest distribution daily newspaper.

He currently works in clinical practice as Co-Founder of the Epworth Sports & Exercise Group in Richmond and has a corporate speaking business, promoting healthy living principles and productivity life and in the workplace through simple lifestyle practices.

In 2024 he published his new book, “The Health Hundred- 100 Ways to a Healthier, Happier & Longer Life” which was awarded second prize in the prestigious Australian Business Book Awards in the “Personal Development” category.

 

 

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Mr Stephen Moloney – 6 September, 2025

“You can’t say that ! The Medical Board of Australia and other governors – whither freedom of speech and political communication for doctors, lawyers and the public ?”

Location: General Meeting to be held at the Melbourne Club.
Date: September 6, 2025
Time: 6.30 pm – 11.30 pm
Dress: Black tie

Acceptances close August 29, 2025

Stephen Moloney, a past President of the Society, is a senior barrister in Victoria. He has represented and defended MDAV and Avant themselves in varied indemnity and contractual matters as well as in their re-insurance arrangements. He has acted for or against countless individual members of the medical profession since the early 1990s in a wide variety of matters, including constitutional challenges in the High Court of Australia, in medical negligence matters in all Courts at trial and appellate level, in various Federal Court challenges to the Professional Services Review Scheme, in professional conduct matters in various Tribunals around Australia, as well as also appearing for the Medical Board of Australia from time to time in conduct cases. He is routinely briefed for aspirant members of the profession on their pathways to Fellowship of the Colleges. He holds a broad public law practice and is currently a member of the Administrative Law Committee of the Law Council of Australia as well as being a past President of the Australian Institute of Administrative Law. He has sat for years on the Ethics Committee of the Alfred Hospital and the Baker Institute.  He has conducted a long and detailed scientific research misconduct inquiry under the NHMRC Guidelines. He currently chairs the Medicare Participation Review Committee of the Commonwealth and has been successively appointed to that office over multiple terms (15 years) by different Ministers for Health on both sides of the political divide and by that role he decides the rights to practise of doctors under Medicare in certain circumstances. Outside of the medical profession he also holds a long-established equity and commercial practice, a common law practice in institutional abuse and in the 1990s was retained and appeared in litigation arising from the largest corporate collapses in the nation. In his spare time he chairs a private school of 1200 boys and dotes on his two daughters attending university.

A lively debate has recently emerged in the medical profession. This is seen when general societal and “controversial” topics in the practise of medicine, whether those controversies arise from matters of conscience or otherwise, are discussed. The question of the correctness of a doctor speaking up in the public square on matters of personal belief, political opinion, the exercise of freedom of conscience and freedom of religion gives rise to the intersection of such principles in the considered opinions of such doctors on such topics with the opinion of the Medical Board of Australia in its governing role on the professional correctness of such speech in professional conduct. The capacity to communicate medical opinion is no longer confined to The Lancet or the New England Journal of Medicine, or even a daily newspaper but where is the boundary to be drawn so that the conduct of free speech outside the surgery is still able to be regulated by the Medical Board or other such regulators ? When can the Medical Board say – “you can’t say that…?” and thereby imperil your career or even suspend or cancel your registration ? Can you be “cancelled” ? It has happened in Victoria. So, should a doctor fear the Medical Board of Australia or the E-Safety Commissioner of the Commonwealth when or if speaking up, and if so, when ? What is the state of free speech in this country ? Recent cases will be discussed which the speaker has appeared in as well as others.

 

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Prof Manjula O’Connor – AGM November 22, 2025

‘Family Violence and Medico-Legal Issues in Australian Migrant Communities’

Location: Annual General Meeting to be held at the Melbourne Club.
Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025
Time: 6.30 pm – 11.30 pm
Dress: Black tie

Acceptances close November 13, 2025

Family Violence and Medico-Legal Issues in Australian Migrant Communities

Family violence remains a pervasive public health and human rights issue in Australia, with migrant communities facing unique and often compounding vulnerabilities. This presentation explores the complex medico-legal dimensions of family violence in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations, highlighting the intersection of health, legal, and migration systems.

Domestic abuse is expressed, endured, and silenced differently across different cultures, notwithstanding the fact that some contributory elements such as gender inequality and mental health issues are shared. These communities are not on the margins of the national story.   30.7 per cent of Australians are born overseas and the top ten migrant source countries include India, China, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We cannot overlook their story. Our understanding of gendered violence has lagged in such communities. My clinical, research and community-based activism reveals that feminist analysis of inequality is necessary, but not sufficient to understand and eventually stop family violence. I will speak about how I discovered a particular form of financial abuse termed ‘dowry abuse’ in Australia and recognised the influence of tradition, family hierarchy, migration stressors, and the imbalance of power between genders.

Clinicians are frequently the initial point of contact for reports of domestic abuse from their patients. It is a difficult task to respond sensitively and effectively to disclosures of abuse, while safeguarding the trust and wellbeing of the patient. Legally, we are bound to protect—but ethically, we must also advocate. That was how I became involved in activism and advocacy.

The law is meant to protect, but for migrant survivors, fear of visa cancellation, deportation, or community ostracism can silence cries for help. These aren’t just legal challenges—they are deeply human ones. Migration law, family law, and health law intersect in complex ways, and too often, systems work in silos.

I found that progress requires collaboration between medical, legal, and social services. To achieve reforms that prioritise migrant voices and experiences, collaboration with media, public servants, and politicians is essential.

By deepening our understanding of the medico-legal landscape and embracing a holistic, human-centred response, we can move closer to ensuring safety, justice, and healing for all families—regardless of their origin.

Professor Manjula Datta O’Connor

MBBS FRANZCP DPM MMED

Professor Manjula Datta O’Connor is a psychiatrist in private practice with clinical and research interest in migrant women’s mental health, family violence, complex trauma and trauma therapy.

She is Hon Clinical A/ Professor at the Department of Psychiatry University of Melbourne, and Adjunct Professor UNSW Department of Social Sciences. Manjula is the immediate past Chair Bi-National Family Violence Psychiatry Network. of the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. She is an invited examiner and mentors her peers.

She is the author of the book *Daughters of Durga* and was invited to give readings at the Brisbane Writers Festival 2023.

Manjula is an invited expert on government committees regarding migrant women’s safety. Manjula frequently appears on media as a guest.

Manjula co-founded the NGO, the AustralAsian Centre for human rights and health (ACHRH) in 2012. As the Executive Director of ACHRH she successfully led the dowry abuse campaign in Australia culminating in law change in Victoria in 2019; inclusion of dowry abuse in the Attorney General’s National Principles to Address Coercive Control in Family and Domestic Violence 2023 and successfully advocated to change Federal Family Law Act 2025 to include dowry abuse as an example of financial abuse.   ACHRH under Manjula’s directorship won the Innovative Award for migrant community education around Australian culture. In its short existence (12 years) ACHRH has won around $1million in grants.

Recognition and awards

Manjula received the Premiers Award Victorian Senior of the year 2024, was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll 2024, the Multicultural Honour Roll 2024, and received the Meritorious Award from the Royal NZ College of Psychiatrists Victorian Branch 2023. She was recognized with the Victorian Government Multicultural Award for Excellence in Service Delivery in Women’s Health 2012, the Changemaker Award at Women’s Agenda 2020, and the Australia India Business and Community Excellence Award. She was also listed among the top 100 Indians in Australia 2022.

Manjula’s name has been mentioned multiple times in the Federal and Victorian Parliament.

More information can be found on www.manjulaoconnor.com

 

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President’s Message

Warmest Christmas wishes to our prodigious members.
 
As another year comes to a close, I’m thrilled to have completed my role as President of the Medico Legal Society of Victoria, but I’m even more excited to announce that I’ve been re-elected for another term.
 
Reflecting on the past year fills myself and the MLSV committee with a sense of pride and accomplishment, which wouldn’t have been possible without the invaluable contributions from our members and their guests.
 
This year, we demonstrated our resilience in the face of unexpected challenges, including a last-minute speaker cancellation and my own impromptu presentation on Advances in Breast Care, demonstrating a changing epidemiology and the importance of risk profiling, gene testing and oncoplastic surgery.
 
We then had the privilege of learning from renowned global speaker Steve Van Aperen, who shared expert insights on detecting deception and building stronger relationships.

The take home message on how to read and address people both within work situations and personally was invaluable.
 
Prof Meng Law, Director of radiology at Alfred Health spoke on The rapid rise of AI in Health care and its potential impact on patient outcomes, was also well attended by concerned and curious parties. We are still waiting to see if the “machines” will take over humankind!
 
We then shifted from the Melbourne Club venue to the Alexander club, who welcomed us despite a slight delay in proceedings due to Qantas setting down Ms Helen Bird an hour late.  Helen is a law and corporate governance expert who gave us insight into these issues with recent examples.
 
This was followed by the exceptional insight by Prof Dan Lubman into drug law reform. He is the Director of Turning Point, Australia’s leading national addiction treatment, research and education centre. With this background he discussed what is working with our reforms and how to potentially improve them.
 
Our AGM at the Melbourne Club was a resounding success, with 100 attendees and a thought-provoking address by Gavin Silbert KC on the disappearing rule of law.

Lively discussions ensued bringing a sense of colleagial engagement to the room.

This concluded our series of events and the committee is working tirelessly to curate an engaging lineup of speakers for 2025.
 
Please refer to the website in 2025, which we have slowly managed to repair for upcoming seminars.
 
We welcome with great enthusiasm new members and they can also be nominated on the website .
 
The committee and I are now taking a well-deserved break, and we wish you all a joyous, safe, and healthy festive season, followed by a New Year filled with endless possibilities for growth and positive change.
 
Dr Nicole Yap
FRACS MBBS A MusA