Inner West Trumpet of Patriots Candidate Purchased PhD Online

Following an investigation that found that he “posed a risk to the health and safety of the public,” a candidate recently endorsed by Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots party has been prohibited from providing health services.

The political party also falsely claims on its official candidates page that the candidate, David Sarikaya, holds a PhD in psychology, which, in 2009, was found by the police to be purchased online.

Sarikaya, who was born Ali Davut Sarikaya but has also gone by the name David Kaye, is running in the Sydney seat of Reid.

In 2023, the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) issued a warning against Sarikaya, saying that it was “not safe” to receive counselling or health services from the candidate, after receiving complaints from the public.

This followed a 2016 investigation by the HCCC into Sarikaya that found that he had misled clients over several years into believing that he had the relevant credentials to deliver counselling services.

“Mr Kaye has no formal qualifications in psychology or counselling,” the statement of decision reads.

“He does not have a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology and he does not have a Graduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology,” it said.

David Sarikaya’s “PhD” not related to psychology

The HCCC also said in 2016 that evidence showed that Sarikaya’s PhD was not even related to his practice in counselling or psychology, but rather was a degree in theology.

When the NSW Police raided Sarikaya’s home in 2009 as a part of an investigation into his conduct, they located a document that showed that the PhD was purchased for “approximately $249” on the internet.

Sarikaya had applied to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) to have the HCCC’s decision reviewed, but the application was dismissed.

In 2018, NCAT also made an order permanently prohibiting the candidate from providing any health service in either a paid or voluntary capacity.

Sarikaya also claims to have worked for the “Australian Trauma Research Institute”.

ABC NEWS Verify had contacted Sarikaya, who said he didn’t want to be interviewed.

However, he sent a statement that detailed why he’s running for office, along with dozens of links and documents, saying that “the evidence speaks for itself”.

Among these documents was an email that accused various institutions, including the HCCC, of being a part of a “racially motivated character assassination campaign”.

The blog posts that he linked also contained similar allegations, and some of the documents he provided attacked education institutions from which he claimed to have qualifications.

The email he provided could be tracked to a website called “The ATRI Clinic”, which also lists his phone number.

In a statement to ABC NEWS Verify, the HCCC confirmed its investigation into the candidate remains ongoing.

According to the HCCC, Sarikaya began using the name David Kaye around 1997 after being convicted of fraud in Victoria, and then proceeded to declare himself bankrupt.