Barbara O’Neill, the banned ‘naturopath’ – who has no medical qualifications at all – has won the Australian Skeptics’ Bent Spoon award for 2025.
The Spoon is given annually to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of pseudoscientific or paranormal piffle. It has been given every year since 1982 and is one of the least sought-after prizes in Australia.
O’Neill has earned the ‘honour’ after years of promoting pseudo-medical nonsense and dangerous claims of supposed and debunked cures for serious ailments.
In 2019, the Health Care Complaints Commission in New South Wales ruled that she is prohibited from providing any health-related services in Australia. An investigation found that she provided dangerous advice to vulnerable patients, such as telling those with cancer to forego prescribed chemotherapy for bicarbonate of soda, and to give infants unpasteurised goat’s milk. Despite the ban, she has continued to spruik her medical conspiracies and alternative treatments at functions overseas, which are often streamed back to Australia.
Among her other claims are that grated potatoes can prevent tetanus, cayenne pepper will heal stomach ulcers, sliced garlic placed on the sole of a baby’s foot is more powerful than antibiotics, and chopped onions can treat pneumonia.
Tim Mendham of Australian Skeptics said that “With all her references to vegetables we’d say she was a shill for Big Farmer. But this is serious and dangerous stuff, with many people following her totally unqualified and wrong guidance around the world. She is one Australian export we really didn’t need.”
Dishonourable mentions for the Spoon went to journalist Ross Coulthart (who previously won in 2023) for continuing his dire predictions of UFO breakthroughs that never occur, and self-styled ‘holistic healer’ Lucy Aura who offers urine therapy for animals and children.
Merit awards
The Skeptics also issued more positive merit awards at the dinner.
The Thornett Award for the Promotion of Reason acknowledges a member of the public or a public figure who has made a significant contribution to educating or informing the public regarding issues of science and reason. And there is hardly anyone who is better known for promoting science and reason in Australia than Robyn Williams, host for the last 50 years of the ABC’s Science Show.
Mendham said: “Robyn is a justifiably famous national living icon, and his dedication to science, reason and truth over the years makes him a highly worthy winner.”
In addition to a commemorative certificate, $2000 is awarded to the recipient or to a charity or cause of their choice.
The Barry Williams Award for Skeptical Journalism is awarded for journalistic work that critically analyses or exposes issues related to pseudoscience or the paranormal. The winner is judged by a panel of Walkley award-winning journalists. Like the Thornett award, the Barry Williams award includes a $2000 prize.
This year the award went to Henrietta Cook and Liam Mannix of The Age/Sydney Morning Herald for their story on the use of the toxic substance belladonna for infant colic. The report explored the dangers of this largely unregulated medication, which has been linked to almost 50 Australian babies falling seriously ill over the past two years. Both recipients have been winners of the award in the past.
The Skeptics awards were announced at the gala dinner for Skepticon, the Australian Skeptics national convention, that was held in Melbourne on October 4.
