Major medical body asks charity watchdog to take over and end dysfunction

One of Australia’s largest medical colleges has asked the charities watchdog to urgently dissolve its board just hours before members were due to begin voting on whether to oust the body’s sitting president.

In a letter to more than 32,000 members of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) on Friday, honorary treasurer Dr Nicholas Buckmaster said its board could no longer operate effectively following months of dysfunction and infighting between directors and executives.

The outgoing president, Professor Jennifer Martin, has wanted to bring the organisation’s constitution in line with other colleges that separate the roles of president and board chair, but has faced firm opposition from Dr Sharmila Chandran and her supporters.

Buckmaster said the board had asked the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Commissioner Sue Woodward to use her powers to suspend each of the board’s directors immediately.

The commissioner should consider whether to permanently remove any directors, and appoint acting board members who can help the college remain compliant “and continue to deliver its charitable mission”, Buckmaster wrote.

“This approach reflects the Board’s collective responsibility to act to protect the long-term integrity of the College and the interests of members, trainees and the communities we serve,” he wrote.

The college’s members were due on Friday to begin voting on whether to dismiss Martin at a fifth extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in six months.

Buckmaster said the request for regulatory intervention was not intended to influence the outcome of the vote.

“The current Board will not take any action to alter, delay or interfere with members’ rights to vote, and will implement the outcome of the EGM in accordance with the College’s Constitution,” he wrote.

The college is responsible for training and accrediting about 32,000 doctors across 33 specialties in Australia and New Zealand. Buckmaster said these core functions would continue.

Chandran, a Melbourne-based renal physician, is due to take over from Martin in May, but her path has been marred by the constant infighting within the college.

Chandran has seen off three EGM votes on constitutional changes that would prevent her from assuming the dual roles of president and board chair.

She also launched a “stop bullying” case against the college in the Fair Work Commission last year, which she has since dropped.

In a statement to this masthead, Chandran distanced herself from the board’s announcement, which she said was “highly improper”.

“I have raised my own concerns with regulators on multiple occasions in the last year,” she said.

“Regulators have also been contacted by members and the repeated advice given was [that] it is for members to act.

“They have acted – they called an EGM against [Professor] Martin.”

The ACNC said it was unable to comment.

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