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Royal Australasian College of Physicians leadership crisis and chaotic EGM vote

3 hours ago2 articles from 2 sources

Consensus Summary

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is embroiled in a leadership crisis following a chaotic extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on April 22, 2026, where police were called after Dr Sharmila Chandran’s husband reported feeling intimidated. The meeting, held to vote on removing Professor Jennifer Martin as president, saw conflicting claims about its conduct. Chandran, who was due to assume the presidency in May, alleged Martin had a conflict of interest and moved the meeting to a closed room without key participants, while Martin’s supporters claimed the vote was improperly conducted and invalid. The vote resulted in 54.5% of members (2,179 out of 4,260) supporting Martin’s removal, but the board disputes the legitimacy of the result. The crisis has led to a constitutional split, with two competing boards claiming authority, and has prompted concerns from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and the Australian Medical Council (AMC). The infighting has cost the college at least $640,000 in five EGMs over six months, with members expressing frustration over the unprofessional behavior and financial waste, leading some to leave the organization entirely.

✓ Verified by 2+ sources

Key details reported by multiple sources:

  • Police were called to the RACP’s O’Connell Street office in Sydney on 2026-04-22 at ~10:30am after Dr Sharmila Chandran’s husband reported feeling intimidated; NSW Police confirmed no crime was committed and no further action was taken.
  • The EGM on 2026-04-22 voted 2,179 (54.5%) in favor of removing Professor Jennifer Martin as president, with 1,781 (45.5%) opposed, using CorpVote for the vote.
  • The RACP board (as of 2026-04-22) consists of four members: Professor Jennifer Martin, Dr Sharmila Chandran, Dr Nicholas Buckmaster, and Dr Janak de Zoysa.
  • Dr Sharmila Chandran was elected president-elect in 2024 and was due to assume the presidency in May 2026, but the vote on 2026-04-22 removed Martin as chair, making Chandran chair of the board.
  • The RACP has held five extraordinary general meetings (EGMs) in the last six months, with three held on 2024-10-31 alone, costing at least $640,000 in total.
  • The RACP was found in breach of workplace health and safety laws in March 2026 by SafeWork NSW for failing to manage the risk of harmful behavior within the board.
  • The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) was contacted by Chandran to inform them that Martin was no longer chair of the RACP board.
  • The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) trains and accredits over 33,000 doctors across 33 specialties in Australia and New Zealand.

Points of Difference

Details reported by only one source:

Sydney Morning Herald
  • The board statement claimed Chandran ‘organised for the meeting’s livestream to focus the cameras on her’ before moving the meeting to a closed room without Martin, the CEO, other directors, or the interim company secretary present.
  • The board said it was seeking legal advice as to the validity of the meeting, which it believed had been held improperly, citing breaches of Corporations and WHS Acts, natural justice, and board bylaws.
  • The board statement said Chandran’s husband had called police to the meeting, which she confirmed, saying she had been intimidated.
  • The board alleged the results were not correctly scrutineered and the vote is invalid, with Martin remaining the chair.
  • The incident follows the resignation of most of the board, an external investigation into bullying allegations against Martin, and three failed member votes to prevent Chandran from assuming both roles.
The Guardian
  • The board’s view was that ‘Martin remains the chair’ after the vote, but Chandran issued her own statement saying the board’s statement was ‘not authorised by me (chair of RACP) and does not represent the official position of the RACP’.
  • Chandran said she moved to a separate room to conduct the meeting from her laptop, and her husband ‘had to stand at the door’ to prevent others from entering.
  • The Australian Medical Council (AMC) expressed concerns about the RACP’s governance, stating it may not be meeting accreditation standards and is engaging with the college for urgent answers.
  • Chandran revealed she had lodged an application for an anti-bullying order with the Fair Work Commission in May 2025, which she later dropped due to delays.
  • The board informed RACP members in August 2024 that it had passed a vote of no confidence in Chandran, leading to six of the board’s 10 directors resigning.
  • Chandran wrote to members in September 2024 rejecting claims of ‘adversarial and disrespectful behavior,’ saying she had raised concerns about bullying and harassment in the college.
  • The turmoil has led to some doctors, like Dr Luke Gaffney, leaving the RACP due to the ‘endless stream of extraordinary general meetings’ and unprofessional behavior.
  • Junior doctors pay up to $10,000 annually in college fees, including membership and exam costs, with one trainee estimating spending $20,000 over their training period.

Contradictions

Conflicting information between sources:

  • The SMH states the board believes the vote is invalid and that Martin remains the chair, while the Guardian reports that Chandran claims she is the authorized chair and the board’s statement was not authorized by her.
  • The SMH says the board’s statement was sent to members on Wednesday afternoon, but the Guardian does not explicitly confirm this timeline for the board’s statement.
  • The SMH mentions that the board’s statement alleged Chandran ‘spoke over the chair and did not stop,’ while the Guardian reports Chandran’s claim that Martin had a conflict of interest and was not appropriate to chair the meeting.
  • The SMH states that the board’s statement was sent from an official college address, but the Guardian reports that Chandran denied authorizing the board’s statement, creating confusion about its legitimacy.
  • The Guardian reports that three new directors were added to the board a day after the vote, while the SMH does not mention this addition explicitly.

Source Articles

SMH

‘Truly bizarre meeting’: Police called to medical college vote

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians has been in turmoil for months due to an ongoing dispute between its president and her elected successor.

22 April 2026
GUARDIAN

‘Royal mess, trainwreck, shitshow’: inside the implosion of one of Australia’s oldest medical colleges

Police called to tumultuous meeting of Royal Australasian College of Physicians, where rival leaders are locked in a battle for control. Exasperated doctors say the turmoil is a symptom of a deeper problem in medicine Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast On a quiet Wednesday morning, on the 27th floor of a sleek building overlooking Sydney Harbour, a group of doctors from one of Australia’s oldest medical colleges were preparing to vote in an extraordinary general meeting

5 hours ago