Denis Peter Mackey (8 May 1934 – 8 January 1990) was an Australian medical practitioner. Mackey was born at

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

to commercial traveller Alphonsus Denis Mackey and Dulcie Edith, ''née'' Reid. He attended Catholic schools and studied medicine at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. He married Noelle Lucy Mooney on 30 December 1959 at Middle Park before moving to Tasmania in 1960, where Mackey found work at the

Royal Hobart Hospital The Royal Hobart Hospital is a public hospital in the Hobart CBD, Tasmania, Australia. The hospital also functions as a teaching hospital in co-operation with the University of Tasmania. The hospital's research facilities are known as the Roy ...

. In 1963 he developed his own practice at

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th centu ...

. He joined the General Practitioners' Society in 1973, serving as national vice-president from 1976 to 1979 and president from 1979 to 1981. He was editor of the ''Australian GP'' from 1974 to 1978 and assistant editor from 1978 to 1980. Mackey was a strong supporter of private healthcare, opposing the introduction of

Medibank Medibank is an Australian private health insurance provider headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria. It is Australia's largest private health insurance provider, covering around 4.2 million customers in 2024. Medibank initially ...

and Medicare. An opponent of community health centres, he toured the

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in 1977 speaking against socialised medicine. He refused money from both Medicare and the Department of Veterans' Affairs, requiring his patients to make their own claims. In 1985 Mackey claimed that

repetitive strain injury A repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an injury to part of the musculoskeletal or nervous system caused by repetitive use, vibrations, compression or long periods in a fixed position. Other common names include repetitive stress injury, repetitiv ...

was being used by workers to claim unwarranted sick days, prompting a dispute with the Tasmanian Trades & Labor Council and the

Federated Clerks' Union The Federated Clerks Union of Australia (FCU) was an Australian trade union representing clerical workers, in existence from 1911 to 1993, when it amalgamated with the Australian Services Union. History Between 1900 and 1907, attempts were made to ...

. Despite his vehemency he treated many patients for free. He died in 1990 in Hobart, survived by his wife and their four sons. The

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

awards an annual scholarship in his name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackey, Denis 1934 births 1990 deaths Australian general practitioners