“It’s quite onerous in terms of the amount of time and commitment,” he said.
“[It’s] going to take me away from the community, and the number of patients I’ll be able to see will be diminished.”
The disciplinary measures come two months after his controversial interview with the Herald Sun.
Erin Patterson was found guilty of murdering three people and trying to kill a fourth by poisoning them with death cap mushrooms concealed in a beef Wellington meal.Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola
Following the backlash, Webster later clarified with this masthead that his comments were made when he was explaining to the reporter his initial reaction on learning from Dandenong Hospital doctor Beth Morgan that four people had been poisoned, potentially with death cap mushrooms.
“To be perfectly honest, they were words that I said in the bathroom out loud after the phone call from Dr Beth Morgan,” Webster told this masthead in July.
“I was freaking out. I was completely freaking out. Those thoughts and words were completely private; they were never documented, they were never broadcast until after the verdict.”
Webster said online “trolls” who targeted him for his comments caused him stress, but he stood by his remarks.
“I absolutely do not regret them. I was quoted perfectly,” he said.
“Unfortunately, people don’t necessarily process what they’re reading”
Webster said he was grateful that he could continue to practice and serve the local community in Leongatha.
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“There was a genuine fear in the community at one stage that they were going to lose Dr Webster,” he said. “There was a time there where I couldn’t walk down the main street of Leongatha and not be hugged.”
“Once everyone realised I was here for the long haul and committed to the general practise that I own, everybody calmed down.”
Although Webster was not directly employed by Gippsland Southern Health Service – the operator of Leongatha Hospital – his role as a visiting medical officer placed him in the spotlight. The health service has since ended its partnership with the local clinic through which he was contracted. He last worked at the hospital in February 2024.
Earlier this month, Patterson was sentenced to life in prison, with a non-parole period of 33 years for the murders of Heather Wilkinson and Don and Gail Patterson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson. Patterson’s sentence makes her one of Victoria’s longest-serving female inmates.
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