Governance issues continue to plague the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) amid allegations of member silencing, board-stacking and escalating internal power struggles. Stephanie Tran reports.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians is bracing for another explosive board meeting – a snap meeting called for today – after members last week overwhelmingly backed president-elect Dr Sharmila Chandran.
The extraordinary general meeting (EGM), called by a group of members seeking to “remove Dr Chandran as president-elect and board director”, was rejected by 74% of voting members last week, with 7,444 of the college’s 33,000 members participating.
It was the second time in less than a month members had been asked to vote on the identical proposal, following a string of EGMs costing the college an estimated ($) $1 million.
The latest result also prompted renewed calls from some members for current president Professor Jennifer Martin to resign.
RACP board in turmoil as dissident director prevails at doctors’ meeting
‘Interim controls’ consolidate power in chair’s hands
Since the vote, tensions have intensified within the leadership of the College.
Internal documents seen by MWM show a suite of new “interim controls” for board meetings and communications introduced in recent days by the faction aligned with current RACP president and board chair, Professor Jennifer Martin.
Under the controls, entry to the virtual board meeting room will require chair approval; participants will remain muted unless invited to speak; and the chair will be able to pause proceedings and move directors into a waiting room if she considers conduct to have “escalated”. The controls will be administered by the governance team “at the direction of the chair”.
The measures were drafted by CEO Steffen Faurby and his staff as part of a WHS hazard report addressing what they described as the “psychosocial hazard” of “unsafe behaviour” at board meetings.
Both Faurby and Martin are currently the subject of bullying claims in stop-bullying applications before the Fair Work Commission. Both deny wrongdoing.
Concerns over board-stacking ahead of snap meeting
The RACP board is preparing to meet today to appoint new directors, despite there being no further scheduled board meetings until February.
Sources say the proposed appointments have not gone through an open expression of interest process or been discussed transparently across the full board.
They raised concerns about board stacking ahead of Chandran’s scheduled commencement as president in May, when she would also assume the role of board chair under current college rules.
The concerns come amid whistleblower complaints about the RACP’s governance, including allegations that members’ funds have been used to pursue internal factional disputes. Martin has previously rejected claims that college funds have been used to “shut down” critics, saying all expenditure relates to maintaining proper governance.
College response
MWM put questions to the RACP about governance concerns within the college. In response, they provided a transcript of a video message from Martin that was sent to College members following the EGM last week.
“The Board respects the outcome and will fulfil the constitutional steps that follow,” Martin said.
“My own position is also clear. I will continue in my role as President. I will not be diverted by campaigns or by attempts to personalise institutional issues. I am here to Chair the Board to ensure the work of the College continues, and it will be conducted under proper governance.”
Shemozzle: RACP in crisis as doctors’ meeting looms, whistleblower emerges
Stephanie is a journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that hold power to account. With a background in both law and journalism, she has worked at The Guardian and as a paralegal, where she assisted Crikey’s defence team in the high-profile defamation case brought by Lachlan Murdoch. Her reporting has been recognised nationally, earning her the 2021 Democracy’s Watchdogs Award for Student Investigative Reporting and a nomination for the 2021 Walkley Student Journalist of the Year Award.