Episode 14: Payback
3/13/202654 min
What was meant to be a light‑hearted dinner becomes weaponised into a scandal. The fallout leads to calls for Commissioner Tony Morris to be sidelined.
But pressure doesn’t relent for Queensland Health as another scandal emerges. A bogus psychiatrist was allowed to treat patients. His credentials, the inquiry hears, were “crude forgeries”.
Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au
Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcast...
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKatie Page0:00
I'm Katie Page, CEO of Harvey Norman. Since 2018, Harvey Norman has been a key partner in The Australian's investigative podcasts, such as Sick to Death, Bronwyn, Shandy's Story, The Teacher's Pet, and The Night Driver. Harvey Norman are proud sponsors of The Australian's podcast investigations and their award-winning journalism.
Hedley Thomas· Host0:21
[gentle music] My name is Hedley Thomas. Sick to Death is based on my book of the same name, and it's the true story of Dr. Jayant Patel's lies and manipulation, and the herculean effort it took to finally stop him. We've used voice actors throughout this series, and on occasion, the real people from the story have read their words for us. It is brought to you by me and The Australian. [tense music] Chapter 64, Payback, July 2005. The evidence at the hearings in Bundaberg had been tragic, grueling, and at times gratuitously graphic. Bloody wounds, cover-ups, perforated bowels, maladministration, oozing pus, missed opportunities, all of it amid tension and uncertainty raised by the looming Supreme

