Robert Frank Mittiga, alias Robert Frank or Roberto Cialdini has once again been convicted.

Robert Frank Mittiga, a drug and alcohol counsellor, who also uses the alias Robert Frank and Roberto Cialdini when advertising his services in Victoria, has once again been convicted and jailed by the South Australian Magistrates Court.

Mr Mittiga was indefinitely banned from offering health services in South Australia. South Australian Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner, Associate Professor Grant Davies welcomed the sentencing earlier this month and advised this was the third time Mr Mittiga had been before the court for breaching a prohibition order imposed on him during 2015.

In 2019, Mr Mittiga was prosecuted for breaching his prohibition order and a previous 2016 good behaviour bond. Before being sentenced last week, he pleaded guilty to breaching his prohibition order again and a separate good behaviour bond. Mr Davies advised that “Mr Mittiga had shown an inability to abide by the terms of the prohibition order against him and has disregarded it time and time again.

“Today’s outcome strongly demonstrated to the South Australian public those Unregistered Health Care Workers who are not abiding by the Code of Conduct for Certain Health Care Workers will be held accountable.”

Mr Mittiga had previously come to the attention of the Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner, in 2019, when she issued a Victorian prohibition order against Mr Mittiga earlier that year.

The Health Complaints Act 2016 permits the sharing and making of interim or permanent prohibition orders with other health complaints commissioners throughout Australia. Both Commissioners have agreed to continue to share such orders, and work closely with other commissioners to ensure providers are discouraged from moving across borders in an attempt to avoid bans issued in their home states.

The safety of Victorians is our number one priority, and we continue to investigate and, where appropriate, impose prohibition orders on those general health service providers who do the wrong thing and put the Victorian public at risk.

The Health Complaints Commissioner encourages the public regularly check our website and make themselves aware of providers who are subject to prohibition orders under the Health Complaints Act 2016.