President’s update: Strengthening our profession

This is a longer President’s update than usual, and I hope you will take a few minutes to read it.

As I move beyond the halfway point of my presidency, it seems an important time to reflect on what has been achieved, give members a clearer view of the work underway, and look ahead with our newly elected Board.

The College has embarked on an ambitious program of reform whose scale extends beyond any single presidency or Board term. It requires continuity and sustained commitment. Our President Elect, Dr Angelo Virgona, is closely engaged in this work and will be well placed to continue it when he assumes the presidency in May 2027. 

I have also been on medical leave for the past fortnight following a major surgery and will remain on leave until 14 August. I am very grateful to Dr Angelo Virgona for carrying the responsibilities of the President’s role. I look forward to resuming my duties shortly and continuing the work outlined in this update.

The RANZCP is a fellowship of more than 9,500 psychiatrists, affiliates and trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, connected by a shared commitment to our profession and to improving the mental health and wellbeing of the communities we serve. The past 15 months have demanded hard work and persistence, but they have also reinforced my belief in the strength of our fellowship and in what we can achieve as a College when we work together with clear purpose.

May saw a rejuvenated Board, with newly elected members Professor Megan Galbally, Professor Dan Lubman and Professor Shuichi Suetani joining re-elected members Dr Michelle Atchison and Dr Mark Lawrence. This provides a valuable balance of fresh perspectives, continuity and institutional knowledge. We have also welcomed Appointed Director Dr Georgia Ramsden and Independent Director Professor Andrew Stripp.

^{Left to right: Professor Shuichi Suetani, Professor Megan Galbally, Dr Angelo Virgona, Dr Astha Tomar, Dr Georgia Ramsden, Professor Dan Lubman, Dr Michelle Atchison, Dr Mark Lawrence and Professor Andrew Stripp}

Together with our Interim CEO, Ms Jarka Kluth, and the Executive team, the Board has the expertise, alignment and organisational capability to deliver the next phase of the College’s work. In a carefully planned organisational restructure, accountability is clearer and leadership capability has been strengthened across key areas.

A day to take stock and look ahead

Around a fortnight ago on 24 July, the Board and Executive Directors came together for a full day of reflection, planning and discussion. Rather than progressing through a conventional Board agenda, we stepped back and asked three fundamental questions:

How far have we come?

Where are we now?

What are we building for the future?

As President and Board Chair, I want to share some reflections from that day to provide members with greater visibility of the work being undertaken and the direction being set collectively by the Board.

The day focused on how we will translate our Strategic Plan 2026–2030 into action. Each Executive Director presented the work underway in their portfolio and priorities for the next six to twelve months, allowing the Board to consider how every part of the College must come together to deliver our vision.

Our discussion followed four connected operational pillars: translating strategy into action; sustainable stewardship; operational excellence; and meaningful engagement with members, communities and stakeholders.

Jarka and the Executive Directors presented a clear and integrated vision of a team working collectively, with defined priorities, accountability and a strong focus on delivery. Professor Andrew Teodorczuk and Anita Hill are guiding our education and training reforms; Felicity Loxton is leading policy, advocacy, professional standards and governance; Phil Cullen is strengthening communications and external engagement; Lloyd Doddridge is advancing financial stewardship, technology, risk and reporting; Danielle Blanco is leading our work on people, culture and leadership capability; and Sam Dipnall is focused on improving member experience and engagement. Under Jarka’s leadership, the team is working across these interconnected areas to translate the Strategic Plan into practical and measurable outcomes for members.

Beyond the New Fellowship Program and governance reform, the Board considered a broad program of work across rural psychiatry, supervisor development, specialist international medical graduate pathways, policy and advocacy, member experience, cultural safety, technology and organisational capability. Together, these priorities are intended to strengthen the profession, improve how members experience their College and ensure the organisation has the systems and skills needed to deliver for its members.

Strategy into action: education and training

One of our most significant priorities remains the New Fellowship Program.

This requires much more than a revised curriculum. It requires us to transform training and assessment so that future psychiatrists remain clinically excellent and patient-centred, are prepared for a changing healthcare environment, and fulfil the social contract that underpins our profession.

The New Fellowship Program Taskforce has undertaken an extraordinary amount of rigorous work. More than 160 submissions and 40 consultation sessions are helping it identify recurring themes, test assumptions and translate the experience of trainees, Fellows, educators and other stakeholders into recommendations for the future of Fellowship training.

The Board has endorsed the Taskforce’s vision, the proposed foundation of a five-year program structured across three purposeful phases from 2030, and the return of an external clinical examination in the second phase.

This responds to longstanding member concerns about reliance on workplace-based assessments alone and recognises the importance of independent assessment in assuring standards and maintaining public confidence. Workplace-based assessments can then focus on feedback, learning and development, complemented by external examinations and a reflective portfolio.

These decisions do not alter the requirements for current trainees. They establish the direction for the detailed design, testing, consultation and evaluation that will occur over the coming years.

On behalf of the Board, I thank the Taskforce, chaired by A/Prof Simon Stafrace, and all contributors for the expertise, candour and intellectual rigour they have brought to this once-in-a-generation opportunity. The Taskforce will bring its final recommendations to the Board soon, after which a fuller update on the program and pathway towards implementation will follow

Our education agenda is broader than the New Fellowship Program. Priorities also include AMC accreditation, stronger support and accreditation for supervisors, improvements to specialist international medical graduate assessment and pathways, and advancement of the rural training roadmap. Together, these initiatives aim to strengthen education quality, trainee experience and workforce capability while preparing the profession for changing community needs.

Sustainable stewardship: governance, finance and assurance

Governance reform remains a critical priority.

Our education agenda is broader than the New Fellowship Program. Priorities also include AMC accreditation, stronger support and accreditation for supervisors, improvements to specialist international medical graduate assessment and pathways, and advancement of the rural training roadmap. Together, these initiatives aim to strengthen education quality, trainee experience and workforce capability while preparing the profession for changing community needs.

The Board also considered financial sustainability, enterprise risk, regulatory assurance and accreditation. Stronger financial governance and reporting, clearer oversight of risk, and assurance that we meet our regulatory obligations are fundamental Board responsibilities.

Operational excellence: systems, technology and people

Our organisational restructure is designed to align our capability and capacity with our strategic priorities. These include stronger financial reporting and risk management, improved cybersecurity and technology architecture, responsible use of artificial intelligence, and investment in leadership capability, performance development, workplace culture and psychosocial safety.

Meaningful engagement: member experience and communication

The Board understands that strategy must ultimately be experienced by members in practical ways. The College is developing a more unified member service, with a clearer point of contact, improved responsiveness and better accountability for resolving enquiries.

A future integrated member relationship and engagement system will support more accurate information, coordinated communication and a better understanding of member needs. Work is also progressing on a clearer member value proposition and meaningful measures of engagement and service quality.

Members deserve clear communication about major reforms and projects.

Policy, advocacy, clinical standards and community partnership

The Board also considered how the College can strengthen its influence through clearer policy priorities, stronger alignment between binational and jurisdictional advocacy, and better reporting of outcomes and impact.

Our advocacy priorities include mental health system reform; a skilled, supported and equitably distributed workforce; quality advice on mental illness and medicines; population-wide equity in mental health care; and person-centred care and stigma reduction.

Within this broader agenda, the Board identified the development of new clinical practice guidelines as a significant priority.

Setting and promoting high standards of psychiatric practice is central to the College’s purpose. The Board wants to see a planned, prioritised and properly resourced guideline program that draws on the best available evidence and the expertise of our members. This work will also strengthen the College’s leadership in policy, practice and professional standards.

This sits alongside our commitments to cultural safety and trusted community partnership, including the Reconciliation Action Plan, and the Lived and Living Experience Strategy. Our authority as a College comes not only from professional expertise, but from setting clear standards, listening and building trusted partnerships with the communities we serve.

Reform members have long called for

Much of the work now underway responds to priorities members have voiced over many years: stronger assessment and curricula, clearer governance, better member services, more transparent decision-making and renewed attention to clinical standards.

A fellowship of more than 9,500 people will not always share the same views, nor should we. The Board welcomes scrutiny and constructive challenge. Members must be able to seek clarity about the rationale for decisions, raise concerns and advocate strongly for change. The expertise, goodwill and willingness to contribute shown by the overwhelming majority of members in their thoughtful and constructive engagement remain the College’s greatest strength.

In this age of immediacy and demands for instant answers on social media, where disagreement can rapidly become personal and speculations can take on the mantle of legitimacy by virtue of repetition, we hold shared responsibility to communicate thoughtfully, test claims against facts and even when views differ, not lose collegiality and our sense of common purpose.   

At a time when trust in institutions, expertise and leadership is being tested, our profession needs a cohesive and strong College that brings psychiatrists together around shared values, sets and upholds professional standards, and speaks with an independent and respected voice for our profession and the communities we serve. Our strength lies not in always agreeing, but in remaining collegial, evidence-informed and united in our shared purpose.

Over the coming weeks, on behalf of the Board, I will provide further updates on major projects and reforms, including the New Fellowship Program, governance reform, College response to the Anna Freud Centre report, Affiliate to Fellowship Pathway, international strategy and our work to strengthen racism awareness and response.

This reform journey will extend beyond any one president or Board term. Our opportunity is to build a College that is thoughtful in its leadership, courageous in its ambition, disciplined in its delivery, open to respectful challenge and united by our shared purpose.

Thank you for the privilege of serving as your President and Board Chair.

Dr Astha Tomar
President