A respected Melbourne doctor claims a former senior manager at the prestigious Royal Australasian College of Physicians was paid off and dismissed after making a whistleblower complaint about a toxic bullying culture in the organisation.
An explosive cache of whistleblower reports submitted to the corporate watchdog lays bare serious claims of bullying and inappropriate management of charitable funds in the college, amid calls for an independent inquiry into its internal processes.
In the most damning allegation, Professor Paul Komesaroff who sits on the college’s board of directors, alleges a former HR manager was forced out of the college after she sounded the alarm on a“toxic and heavy blame culture” in which scapegoats were used to take the focus away from poor leadership.
“The HR manager was offered a very large settlement, many times what she would have been otherwise entitled to on elaborate conditions of absolute secrecy,” documents seen by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald allege.
Professor Paul Komesaroff.Credit:Sebastian Costanzo
The influential college, which oversees the training of almost 25,000 medical specialists and junior doctors in Australia, has long been dogged by reports of infighting and a dysfunctional internal culture.
In the latest controversy, Professor Komesaroff is demanding an inquiry into the college and has submitted eight reports to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
He alleges the former HR manager was “highly regarded as effective and successful in her work” and only weeks before her sudden dismissal she was awarded a substantial bonus for her work.
Documents lodged with corporate watchdog also describe a college workplace that is “toxic and beset with bullying”, favouritism, high staff turnover, intimidation and physicians talking down to more junior colleagues.
In one document, seen by this masthead, an employee at the college voiced fears about making a bullying complaint saying: “I believe that if I make a formal complaint I will be targeted until I have no choice but to resign”.
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Questions have also raised around its handling of board elections, hiring practices and finances.
Senior doctors including emeritus public health Professor Stephen Leeder and renowned bioethicist, haematologist and bone marrow transplant physician Ian Kerridge have also been critical of the college.
Professor Kerridge, who supports calls for an independent and robust inquiry into the college, said “serious and reasonable” questions raised about the college’s governance had been met with strong resistance from management in the past.
“Burying mistakes is a very bad idea,” he said. “The reality is sometimes you need to bring things out into the open before meaningful reform and reconciliation is possible. A regulator isn’t enough to do that. It needs to be the body itself standing up and saying we need a comprehensive independent review.”
It is not the first time allegations of misconduct have been levelled at the college’s management.
Last year it was investigated by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and warned its charity status could be revoked if it failed to address concerns about the use of charity funds for hiring processes, legal advice and its handling of whistleblower complaints.
A college spokesman said this week the charities commission was helping the board deal with issues including its culture and governance. He declined, however, to comment on the numerous allegations raised within the whistleblower documents lodged with ASIC, citing legal reasons.
Professor Komesaroff, who is also president of the college’s adult medicine division, hopes his submission to the corporate watchdog will be a test case for Australia’s new whistleblower laws, which allow protection on the grounds of public interest disclosures.
Professor Komesaroff has previously taken the college to the Supreme Court to obtain withheld documents including the former HR manager’s whistleblower complaint.
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“The college processes tens of millions of dollars of public money each year and it is is responsible for the accreditation and the integrity of the entire medical specialist system in Australia. It has a critically important role and its integrity is fundamental.”
Respiratory physician Professor John Wilson has been named president-elect and is expected to take the reins in May. Three new directors were also appointed to the board including Professor Niki Ellis, Dr Jacqueline Small and Professor Komesaroff.
But warring groups of doctors and ongoing internal tensions continue to rock the college, which was founded in the 1930s.
A document seen by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald this week suggests the new guard’s critics are attempting to oust them from the board by a college vote, amid accusations of them causing “reputational damage”.
An ASIC spokeswoman said she could not verify when it received individual complaints, however, emails seen by this masthead confirm the regulator has received the documents. ASIC said it examined all allegations submitted to it.
The Age and Sydney Morning Herald attempted to contact the former HR manager, but she could not be reached.
Melissa Cunningham is The Age’s health reporter.
Kate Aubusson is Health Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.
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