Immediate and serious risks to their psychological health and safety
One of Australia's most venerable medical institutions finds itself at a crossroads where governance and human welfare have become inseparable concerns. The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission has suspended Dr Sharmila Chandran, president-elect of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, after she allegedly continued contacting staff in defiance of a workplace safety directive designed to protect them from psychological harm. The suspension, lasting until September 2026, reflects a broader truth about institutions: that the structures meant to serve their members can, when fractured by internal conflict, become sources of the very harm they exist to prevent.
- Months of board-level warfare — including a contested vote to remove the outgoing president and a police call during proceedings — have left one of Australia's oldest medical colleges in open institutional crisis.
- SafeWork NSW issued a prohibition notice barring board members from contacting staff directly, citing immediate and serious risks to employees' psychological health and safety.
- Despite being explicitly warned by both SafeWork NSW and the charities regulator of her obligations, Chandran allegedly continued written contact with staff, triggering her suspension from all leadership responsibilities.
- With Chandran blocked from assuming the presidency, interim governance has been handed to a former charities commissioner, leaving the college in a state of leadership limbo ahead of its annual general meeting.
- The regulator has set a September deadline: if it cannot be satisfied the college will meet its governance obligations, Chandran could be permanently removed and the institution itself may face further regulatory action.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, representing more than 32,000 physicians across Australia, has been plunged into a governance crisis serious enough to draw intervention from the nation's charities regulator. On Monday, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission suspended Dr Sharmila Chandran, the college's president-elect, until 20 September — effectively preventing her from assuming the presidency and board chair role she was due to take on after the college's annual general meeting on 29 May.
The suspension follows Chandran's alleged breach of a prohibition notice issued by SafeWork NSW in early May, which ordered board members to communicate with RACP staff only through the chief executive. The regulator says Chandran continued to contact staff in writing despite this directive, exposing employees to what SafeWork NSW described as immediate and serious risks to their psychological health and safety.
The crisis has been building for months. In April, Chandran led a vote to remove outgoing president Dr Jennifer Martin five weeks before her term was due to end — a move contentious enough that Chandran's husband called police during the proceedings. The dispute centred on Martin's push to separate the roles of president and board chair, a governance reform Chandran opposed. SafeWork NSW had already found the college in breach of workplace health and safety laws in March, citing a failure to adequately manage harmful behaviour within its board.
Chandran's tenure has been turbulent from the start. In August of the previous year, the board passed a vote of no confidence in her, accusing her of adversarial behaviour and fostering a toxic culture. She denied the claims and revealed she had filed — and later dropped — an anti-bullying application with the Fair Work Commission, expressing disillusionment with that process.
Interim board chair duties have now been assigned to Adjunct Professor Susan Pascoe, a former charities commissioner. The ACNC has made clear the suspension may not be the final word: if the college cannot demonstrate compliance with its governance obligations by September, the regulator retains the power to extend the suspension, permanently remove Chandran, or take broader action against the institution. For now, the college's staff, membership, and thousands of trainee doctors dependent on its accreditation functions are left navigating an institution its own regulator has deemed harmful to those working within it.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, one of Australia's oldest medical institutions representing more than 32,000 physicians across 33 specialties, has descended into a governance crisis that has now reached the desk of the nation's charities regulator. On Monday, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission suspended Dr Sharmila Chandran, the college's president-elect, as a responsible person until 20 September, effectively blocking her from assuming the presidency and board chair role she was scheduled to take on after the college's annual general meeting planned for 29 May.
The suspension stems from Chandran's alleged failure to comply with a directive issued by SafeWork NSW, the state's workplace safety watchdog. In early May, SafeWork NSW issued a prohibition notice ordering board members to cease all communication with RACP staff except through the chief executive. According to the charities regulator, Chandran continued to contact staff in writing despite this explicit direction. SafeWork NSW advised that this behaviour was exposing RACP employees to "immediate and serious risks" to their psychological health and safety—language that signals the regulator viewed the situation as potentially harmful to vulnerable workers caught in a toxic workplace environment.
The suspension is the latest escalation in months of internal conflict that has fractured the college's leadership. The turmoil intensified in April when Chandran orchestrated a vote to oust the outgoing president, Dr Jennifer Martin, five weeks before her term was scheduled to end. The vote was contentious enough that Chandran's husband called NSW police during the proceedings. The underlying dispute centred on Martin's push to separate the roles of president and board chair—a governance reform already adopted by other medical colleges—a change Chandran opposed. In March, before the April vote, SafeWork NSW had already found the RACP in breach of workplace health and safety laws, issuing a notice that the college had failed to "adequately manage the risk of harmful behaviour" within its board operations.
The college's board members had previously sought intervention from the charities regulator itself, requesting in March and April that the ACNC dissolve the board entirely. Those requests were unsuccessful, but the regulator did meet with board leadership earlier this month and subsequently announced its intention to investigate. The ACNC's statement made clear that Chandran had been advised of her obligations by both SafeWork NSW and the charities commission itself, yet she persisted in her communications with staff. The regulator's suspension notice leaves the college in leadership limbo, with interim board chair duties now assigned to Adjunct Professor Susan Pascoe, a former charities commissioner with extensive governance experience.
Chandran's path to this suspension has been marked by escalating conflict. In August of the previous year, the board passed a vote of no confidence in her, accusing her of engaging in "adversarial and disrespectful behaviour" and fostering "a toxic culture at the board table." She rejected those claims in a subsequent email to members, revealing that she had filed an anti-bullying order with the Fair Work Commission in May 2025—a case she later dropped. When asked about the withdrawal, she expressed frustration with the Fair Work system itself, telling The Guardian that she did not believe it was serving the Australian community.
The college's membership, which includes thousands of trainee doctors pursuing specialist accreditation, depends on mandatory annual fees. The governance crisis has become a source of deep frustration among the physician community, with frustrated doctors describing the situation as "a royal mess" and worse. The RACP board acknowledged the crisis in a statement to members on Monday night, committing to work with the ACNC to meet governance standards and provide a safe workplace. However, the charities regulator made clear that the suspension is not necessarily the end of the matter. If the ACNC cannot be "reasonably satisfied" by 20 September that the college will meet its governance obligations, the regulator has the power to extend the suspension, remove Chandran as a responsible person permanently, or take other regulatory action against the institution itself. For now, the college remains under regulatory scrutiny, its leadership fractured, and its staff operating under conditions the regulator has deemed harmful to their psychological wellbeing.
Citas Notables
Chandran has persisted to communicate in writing with RACP staff in contravention of the directions made in the prohibition notice.— Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
I don't think Fair Work is very fair … it's not serving the Australian community.— Dr Sharmila Chandran, on her decision to withdraw her anti-bullying case
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What actually triggered SafeWork NSW to step in? Was there a specific incident, or did they respond to complaints?
The regulator found in March that the college had failed to manage harmful behaviour within its board operations. That's when they issued their first notice. But the real flashpoint came in May when they issued a prohibition notice—essentially telling board members to stop contacting staff. The fact that Chandran kept doing it anyway is what pushed the charities regulator to act.
So the workplace safety issue isn't about physical danger. It's about psychological harm from board-level conflict.
Exactly. The staff are caught in the middle of a leadership war. When board members are fighting publicly, voting people out, calling police to meetings—that creates a hostile environment for people just trying to do their jobs. The prohibition notice was meant to give staff breathing room.
Why did Chandran keep contacting staff after being told not to?
The sources don't explain her reasoning. She declined to comment on the suspension. But the pattern suggests she didn't accept the regulator's authority to tell her what to do.
What happens to the college now? Can it function with its president-elect suspended?
It's in limbo. A former charities commissioner has been appointed interim chair. The college has committed to working with regulators to fix its governance. But if they can't demonstrate real change by September, the regulator can extend the suspension or remove her permanently. The college's credibility is on the line.
Does this affect the doctors who are members?
Potentially. The college represents over 32,000 physicians, and membership with annual fees is mandatory for trainee specialists. If the college loses its regulatory standing or faces further sanctions, that could have real consequences for accreditation pathways and professional standing.
What's the deeper issue here—is this just personality conflict, or is there a real governance problem?
Both. The personality conflict is real—Chandran and the previous president fundamentally disagreed on how the college should be structured. But the governance problem is that the board allowed that conflict to create a toxic workplace. That's what the regulators are trying to fix.