An Adelaide Hills naturopath will be banned from giving health advice about COVID-19 vaccines after writing an opinion piece warning against their use in a local newspaper.
South Australia's Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner has issued an interim prohibition order against Wayne Liebelt after the article was published in the Adelaide Hills Herald on June 24.
In the article, the Mount Barker naturopath urged people against receiving either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine and described them as "unnecessary" and "ineffective".
Naturopaths do not have to be registered.
However, the commissioner, Associate Professor Grant Davies, said unregistered healthcare workers were still required to abide by South Australia's Code of Conduct for Certain Health Care Workers.
Among other things, it bans workers from attempting to dissuade a client from seeking or continuing medical treatment.
The ban will be in place for 12 weeks while Dr Davies investigates further.
Mr Liebelt and the Adelaide Hills Herald declined to comment.
Dr Davies said the same community expectations that applied to registered health practitioners about COVID-19 vaccines should also apply to unregistered healthcare workers.
"The code of conduct exists to ensure unregistered healthcare workers do not pose a risk to the health or safety of members of the South Australian public," he said.
"Therefore, I have decided to investigate this matter as I am concerned with what Mr Liebelt has expressed in this article."
Mr Liebelt can continue to offer other naturopath services during the investigation.
The Herald also published an opinion piece on the same page from retired obstetrician Warren Jones in favour of vaccines.
