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The Supreme Court of NSW has been dragged into the quagmire of an extraordinary and protracted leadership crisis at one of Australia’s most powerful medical colleges.
Warring factions of the Australasian College of Physicians – responsible for the training and accreditation of more than 33,000 doctors across 33 specialties in Australia and New Zealand – appeared before Justice Francois Kunc on Wednesday as the organisation attempts to delay an annual general meeting set for Friday.
Fiona Roughley, SC, representing the college, argued that the organisation had serious concerns that, if Friday’s meeting were to proceed, it would descend into chaos, given the ongoing conflict, which culminated in police being called to an extraordinary board meeting in April.
The RACP’s bitter constitutional deadlock centres on two factions claiming leadership; one supporting the College’s President Jennifer Martin, and the other, the now-suspended president-elect, Dr Sharmila Chandran.
“I’m not going to be able to fix all the problems in this organisation,” Kunc said during Wednesday’s hearing.
Kunc said he wanted to avoid turning the matter into a royal commission inquiry, to “put it diplomatically… a problematic period for the organisation”.
The dispute has led to months of dysfunction and infighting between college directors and college executives.
Kunc said he had refrained from delving into the backstory for a dispute that has dragged on for almost a year, deeming it “completely irrelevant”.
The backstory
Martin has wanted to bring the organisation’s constitution in line with other colleges that separate the roles of president and board chair. Chandran and her supporters fiercely oppose the move.
The trouble kicked off in mid-2025 when the college board passed a vote of no confidence in Chandran. Six of the board’s 10 directors subsequently resigned.
Chandran has seen off three extraordinary general meeting votes that would have prevented her from assuming the dual roles of president and board chair.
Australia’s charities regulator issued a directive to suspend Chandran, preventing her from assuming the presidency until September 20.
In March, the college asked the charities watchdog to urgently dissolve its board hours before a vote to unseat Martin.
The college has held five EGMs over a six-month period, reportedly costing members more than $1 million.
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