The Australian - Officials 'feared HIV blame'
Rick Wallace and Natasha Robinson
April 05, 2007

PRESSURE is mounting on Victorian Health Minister Bronwyn Pike and her chief health officer
Robert Hall over an accused sex predator whose alleged attempts to deliberately spread HIV went
unchecked for five years.
One Bracks Government MP called for Dr Hall to be sacked over the Department of Human Services'
failure to prevent Michael John Neal from allegedly trying to infect at least 16 men with HIV,
in spite of warnings dating back to 2001.
Opposition police spokesman Andrew McIntosh called for Ms Pike's head over the scandal, saying
she had either been incompetent or deceitful.

Mr Neal, 48, was committed to stand trial last week on 106 charges, including intentionally
spreading HIV, attempting to spread a very serious disease, rape and possession and production
of child pornography.

The MP, who declined to be named, said he was stunned by the apparent apathy over the scandal
within the department and the Government.

"Someone should have lost their head here," he said. "I am absolutely upset that we could use
crappy terms like 'privacy' to allow this disgrace to be perpetrated on the community."

Although the department tried to counsel Mr Neal to change his behaviour after it was warned of
his alleged activities in 2001, his committal hearing heard this had been a failure.

The Australian has learnt that a senior DHS official, along with legal advisers for the
department, had discussions throughout January with advisory panel members who were scared of
being exposed to criticism over the failure to contain Mr Neal.

A source close to the case said there was concern aired about "whether (the DHS) could be
criticised and on what basis".

It was decided that only child pornography allegations were to be referred to police.

An advisory panel recommended on January 31 that Mr Neal be isolated in the interests of public
health.

Ms Pike and Dr Hall are blaming a communication breakdown for the fact that the panel's advice
was never received by Dr Hall, who in any case had been to see police to pass on child
pornography allegations on January 23.

Mr McIntosh said Ms Pike should be dumped as Health Minister. "If there has been deliberate
obfuscation of this it demonstrates that the minister has not been telling the truth, or she's
incompetent - in either case she has to go," he said.

Acting Premier John Brumby said the scandal was clearly unacceptable but Ms Pike still "enjoys
the Government's full confidence".