Submit an ethics Application

Desirable and Additional Criteria

The Committee advises an application should be made if your project meets any of the below criteria:

• Any of the five factors listed above are present; or
• The Aboriginal experience of the medical condition being studied is known, or is likely, to be different from the overall population; or
• There are Aboriginal people who use the services being studied in distinctive ways, or who have distinctive barriers that limit their access to the services; or
• Aboriginal people are known, or likely, to be significantly over-represented in the group being studied (compared to the 3.4% of total NSW population) and/or it is proposed to separately identify data relating to Aboriginal people at any stage in the project.

What is the process of submitting an ethics application?

You can submit an ethics application using these four easy steps:

1. Use our guidelines, templates and statements when preparing an application. (Templates are optional, the Guidelines are compulsory).
2. Ensure that you have Aboriginal Governance over your project, this should be independent from the research team. It may come in the form of an  Aboriginal Reference Group and/or ACCHS Support.
3. Have you prepared all research tools, data collection plans, letters of support, agreements, terms of reference? Further information may be found in the AH&MRC Ethical Guidelines: Key Principles 2020.
4. Begin the application process by clicking ‘login’ below.

Please note: You may start and submit an application at any point, however, your application will not be delegated for review until the closing date. Please take your time when developing an application to ensure that in the initial instance, it is of a high quality and has adequate Aboriginal Governance throughout the lifespan of the project.

How often are applications reviewed?

The Ethics Committee currently meets every six (6) weeks to review applications.

Applications submitted before the application deadline will be considered in the corresponding meeting. Applications submitted after the closing deadline will be considered in the following meeting.

All applications must be received by 11:59pm on the closing date. For any questions or enquiries, reach out to the Ethics team at ethics@ahmrc.org.au

All Human Research must comply with the:

• National Statement on Ethical Conduct Human Research 2025
• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) – Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities
• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Keeping research on track II
• NHMRC – Guidelines under Section 95 of the Privacy Act 1988
• NHMRC – Guidelines approved under Section 95A of the Privacy Act 1988
• NHMRC – Determining whether the S95A Guidelines Apply

Useful Links

• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
• Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (WAAHEC)
• Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation ( VACCHO)
• Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA)
• Central Australian Human Research Ethics Committee (CAHREC)
• Northern Territory Human Research Ethics Committee (NT HREC)
• Kimberley Sub-Committee