Ethical considerations specific to participants
The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007, updated May 2015) (National Statement) consists of a series of guidelines made in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992. It promotes ethical human research and is intended for use by researchers, ethics review bodies, research administrators and potential research participants. The National Statement is developed jointly by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Research Council and Universities Australia.
The National Statement is revised according to a ‘rolling review’ approach. This means that sections of the National Statement are revised as needed, rather than revising the document all at once. Section 3 has recently been revised and its release is anticipated in mid-2018. Section 4 of the National Statement: Ethical considerations specific to participants is the next section to be reviewed.
To inform the review of Section 4, an Issues Paper has been developed for targeted consultation. It sets out and explores themes, concepts and issues relevant to this review. NHMRC invites comment on the questions set out in the paper. The feedback will be used to determine the appropriate structure and approach for the review of Section 4.
