But senator says he doesn’t agree with the infertility treatment claims made by Damian Carey, a Chinese medicine practitioner and candidate for Xenophon’s party

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Nick Xenophon says he stands by a candidate on his federal election team who has advocated acupuncture of the genitals as a treatment for infertile women.

A paper by Damian Carey, a candidate for the independent senator’s team in the South Australian seat of Kingston, says the procedure would lead to “better social outcomes”.

Carey, a practitioner of Chinese medicine, self-published a paper on his website which claims Chinese medicine appears to have a better record than traditional medicine for treating unexplained infertility.

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The paper has not been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, uses anecdotal evidence based on just one of Carey’s clients, and says acupuncture of the perineum between the vulva and the anus can lead an infertile woman to a successful pregnancy.

Xenophon told Guardian Australia he had phoned Carey and had a “cordial discussion” with him to tell him he did not agree with the claims in the paper. Xenophon spoke at the opening of the Fertility Society of Australia conference in Canberra in September, where he called on the government to make IVF treatment more affordable under Medicare.

“The paper reflects Damian’s personal views, they are certainly not my views or those of the team,” he said.

“Medicare should only be involved where there is scientifically validated, evidence-based trials involved, and his paper does not constitute that and it’s not peer-reviewed. His opinion is not based on scientific evidence.”

But Xenophon said he stood by Carey, describing him as someone who strongly supported the issues important to the Nick Xenophon Team such as cracking down on poker machines and improving government transparency.

“This election will be fought not on acupuncture, but on a whole range of issues that relate to jobs, to the predatory gambling industry, and a whole range of other issues,” he said.

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“His view on fertility is not a reasonable view. But to define him by it is also not reasonable.”

Carey is registered on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency as a general acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner. According to his website, he has a masters of acupuncture degree, a certificate of traditional Chinese herbal science and a diploma of naturopathy.

His paper also suggested conventional assisted reproductive technology (ART) could lead to “generations” of unhealthy children.

“A broader dilemma exists in ART’s ability to artificially override the normal physiological filtering of unhealthy gametes, leading to the potential for generations of sub-healthy ART children to be born,” he wrote.

Carey did not return calls requesting comment.

Polling shows NXT stands to gain betweent two and six Senate seats in South Australia.

It could also pick up lower house seats, with the seats of Liberals Christopher Pyne, Jamie Briggs and retiring MP Andrew Southcott all under threat. The seats of Labor MPs Mark Butler, Kate Ellis and Amanda Rishworth are also at risk of going to NXT candidates.

Ellis told the Australian last month that NXT candidates held “some quite extreme views that many voters would not be aware of when they go to the ballot box” after it was revealed that Carey was also anti-vaccination.

The NXT website says all candidates are expected to “be honest, ethical and behave with integrity” and “represent the common-sense middle political ground”.