A Melbourne GP with a suspected history of drug use, Stewart Mawdsley, appeared before the Victoria Civil and Administrative Tribunal facing findings of professional misconduct after being caught with methamphetamine and ketamine, and later moving to Canada where he continued practising. The case has drawn scrutiny because Mawdsley failed to notify the Medical Board of Australia of his criminal offending within the required seven days, and the board is now pushing to disqualify him from practising in Australia, warning that doctors facing serious disciplinary action should not be able to sidestep consequences by relocating abroad.

Mawdsley was charged in August and September 2022 with possessing meth and ketamine, speeding and driving without a licence, pleading guilty and receiving a $1,000 fine without conviction. The Medical Board only learned of the offending months later via Victoria Police, imposed drug-testing conditions in March 2023, and Mawdsley then left for Canada in June 2023, gaining approval to practise there from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia that October — before his status became "temporarily inactive" in August 2026 following a reported relapse in July. The tribunal also heard of a "regulatory history" dating back to 2016, including an unexplained presence of Valium at his clinic, missing medication, a suspected diluted urine sample and a hair sample that tested positive for meth; the board is seeking a reprimand and a three-year disqualification from reapplying for registration in Australia.