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269
Research funding conditional on ethical standards compliance
That compliance with the National Health and Medical Research Council's Advisory Notes on Aboriginal health research ethics be a condition of Aboriginal health research funding from all sources.
Aboriginal Justice Caucus Assessment
The intent of Recommendation 269 was to mandate ethical standards compliance as a condition of Aboriginal health research funding.
This recommendation remains relevant and reiterates the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) in its statement that,
Since colonisation, our people have been subjected to culturally inappropriate and unsafe health and medical research, some of which fails to translate into meaningful benefits for us. Our Community in Victoria has long been attempting to change the way health research is conducted to make it ethical and respect our cultures, knowledges, needs and aspirations.
The Commonwealth Government established the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which develops and enforces ethical guidelines for Aboriginal health research. All research funded by NHMRC or the Australian Research Council must comply with these guidelines to ensure ethical conduct with Aboriginal participants.
The NHMRC guideline: Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities defines six core values — spirit and integrity, cultural continuity, equity, reciprocity, respect, and responsibility. Applying these values and other ethical principles will ensure that research conducted with or for Aboriginal people and communities, or their data or biological samples, is ethically conducted. The Guidelines are intended for use by researchers and ethics review bodies, such as Human Research Ethics Committees. Compliance with these guidelines is a requirement of health-related research carried out or funded by the Department of Health and the Department of Justice and Community Safety.
The Victorian Department of Health was consulted on implementation of this recommendation and deemed it fully implemented but did not provide any further information on the actions taken.
We recognised the efforts of VACCHO to develop marra ngarrgoo, marra goorri, the Victorian Aboriginal Health, Medical and Wellbeing Research Accord. It aims to improve the ethical standards of Aboriginal health, medical and wellbeing research in Victoria so that they align with Aboriginal principles of self-determination.
Priority for Further Work:
Moderate
Relevance and potential impact | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Low (0-2) | Moderate (3-4) | High (5-6) | |||
Extent of action taken and evidence of outcomes | High (5-6) | ||||
Moderate (3-4) | |||||
Low (0-2) | |||||
Background
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) highlighted the importance of ethical considerations and Aboriginal participation in health research processes.
Actions Taken Since Last Review
Department of Health
This recommendation was deemed to be fully implemented in Victoria, but the Department did not provide any further information on the actions taken.
Impact
Outputs
National Health and Medical Research Council guideline: Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities
In general, ethics guidelines provide a set of principles to ensure research is safe, respectful, responsible, high quality, of benefit to Aboriginal people and communities and of benefit to research. The Guidelines defines six core values — spirit and integrity, cultural continuity, equity, reciprocity, respect, and responsibility. Applying these values and other ethical principles will ensure that research conducted with or for Aboriginal people and communities, or their data or biological samples, is ethically conducted.
The Guidelines are intended for use by researchers and ethics review bodies, such as Human Research Ethics Committees. Aboriginal peoples, individual research participants, participant groups, the wider community and other stakeholders may also find the Guidelines useful.
marra ngarrgoo, marra goorri: The Victorian Aboriginal Health, Medical and Wellbeing Research Accord
The vision of marra ngarrgoo, marra goorri is to improve the ethical standards of Aboriginal health, medical and wellbeing research in Victoria so that they align with Aboriginal principles of self-determination.
Outcomes
The Department of Justice and Community Safety and the Department of Health both have Human Research Ethics Committees. Compliance with the National Health and Medical Research Council's guidelines on ethical conduct with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities has been a long-standing requirement of both committees, including for health-related research funded by these departments.
The development of marra ngarrgoo, marra goorri has encouraged more research bodies to consider ethical standards of Aboriginal health, medical and wellbeing research in Victoria so that they more strongly align with Aboriginal principles of self-determination.
Community Views
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)
Since colonisation, our people have been subjected to culturally inappropriate and unsafe health and medical research, some of which fails to translate into meaningful benefits for us. Our Community in Victoria has long been attempting to change the way health research is conducted to make it ethical and respect our cultures, knowledges, needs and aspirations.