A GP registrar successfully challenging his emergency suspension for anti-COVID-19 vaccine comments has not created a defence for doctors who make “unverified public claims”, a medical defence organisation warns.

Last week, the Supreme Court of Queensland overturned the suspension of Dr William Bay, who shouted at doctors during the 2022 AMA National Conference to “stop forcing these vaccines on people who are getting killed by them”.

Georgie Haysom, general manager of advocacy, education and research at medical defence organisation Avant, said the case related to a “reasonable apprehension of bias” in the Medical Board of Australia’s decisions and its failure to provide procedural fairness to Dr Bay.

It was not a “shield against consequences for unprofessional or harmful conduct”, she said.