The College’s impact: achievements, transparency, and next steps
Date published:
10 Apr 2026
This communication was sent to all members 10 April 2026
Dear members,
In my previous message, I acknowledged the concern many of you feel about the College and the events of recent months.
I want to take a moment to step back and reflect on something equally important, what the College has continued to achieve for members and for patients. I am also conscious that much of this work is not always visible.
Many members, quite reasonably, ask what the College is delivering day-to-day, and whether it continues to serve its core purpose. That is a fair question, and one we must continue answering clearly.
Over the past year, the College finalised 38 new curricula, conducted 569 accreditation reviews of training settings, and supported more than 25,000 members participating in CPD. We welcomed 1,593 new Fellows and continued strengthening training standards and pathways across the profession.
We advanced important work in Indigenous health, with an increase of more than 40 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees and Fellows since 2020, alongside sustained advocacy for equity in health outcomes.
We also progressed Project TRELLiS, the most significant IT transformation in the College’s history, consolidating 19 disparate systems into a more integrated and modern platform to support training, education and member services.
Alongside this, we strengthened our data and analytics capability through the Business Intelligence Hub, enabling more informed decision making across education, workforce and member services, and invested in modern facilities to better support members and staff.
The College also received an unqualified audit, confirming that our financial statements present a true and fair view and that appropriate financial controls are in place.
These are not small achievements. They are the core work of the College. They directly affect the quality of physician training, the strength of the workforce, and ultimately the care patients receive across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
They were delivered by a highly capable CEO, management team and staff, working with commitment, professionalism and focus on members. As President, I want to acknowledge and thank them.
It is important to be clear about how this work happens. The role of the Board is governance. We set strategy, ensure accountability, and act in the best interests of the College. The role of management is to run the organisation, deliver programs, and execute that strategy.
Strong organisations depend on clarity of roles, respect for professional expertise, and the discipline to allow people to do their jobs.
When those roles are well understood and respected, the College performs well. When people are trusted to do the jobs they are appointed to do, outcomes follow. The results above reflect that. At the same time, I recognise that many members feel they have not had sufficient visibility of the issues that have led to the current situation. That concern is understandable.
There are, however, real constraints in what can be shared, particularly where matters involve legal processes, complaints, and obligations to ensure procedural fairness and avoid causing further harm. That does not mean we should not strive to do better. We should, and we will.
None of this diminishes the seriousness of the governance issues we are currently working through. But it is important to recognise that, throughout this period, the core work of the College has continued, and continued strongly.
The College exists to serve you, as its members, to support you, and to uphold standards in training and care. It is not a commercial enterprise. Its purpose is professional, educational and public. That continuity matters. It matters for trainees progressing through programs, for Fellows maintaining standards, and for the communities we serve.
My focus remains on ensuring that the College continues to meet its obligations to members, to uphold standards, and to provide stability through this period.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the College and to the profession.
Professor Jennifer Martin
RACP President