Restricted accessEditorialFirst published online 2026-2
By prioritising corporate over clinical ethics the RANZCP is engaged in defensive medicine that fails to fairly represent psychiatrists and our patients
Since its founding in 1946, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists has grown from a volunteer association representing the interests of a small group of doctors focused on clinical concerns, to a large corporation representing thousands of psychiatrists with hundreds of staff operating in a complex regulatory environment. Growing dissatisfaction of college members can be attributed to prioritisation of the risk-averse corporate ethics of large organisations over the patient-focused clinical ethics of small professional groups. This is illustrated by an example of the risk-aversion demonstrated by bloviation in response to member questions to avoid accountability for college decisions.
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