Expressions of Interest closed on Tuesday 5 March 2024 (3pm AEDT).
The Australian Dietary Guidelines Sustainability Working Group (the Working Group) will provide advice on the strength and quality of evidence about sustainability and diet (defined as accessible, affordable and equitable diets with low environmental impacts) to the Australian Dietary Guidelines Expert Committee (the Expert Committee).
Individuals were invited to self-nominate to be considered for appointment to the Working Group.
Working Group members will be appointed on their recognised expertise in one or more of the following areas: evidence translation, environmental science, agriculture/aquaculture, food science/manufacturing, public policy, economics/social economics/sociology, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, regional and remote areas, and equity.
The work of the Working Group will continue for the duration of the review process. The revised Australian Dietary Guidelines (the Guidelines) are anticipated for release in 2026.
About the organisation
NHMRC funds high quality health and medical research, builds research capability, supports the translation of health and medical research into better health outcomes and promotes the highest standards of ethics and integrity in health and medical research.
An important part of NHMRC’s activities is maintaining a leadership role in the development of public health and clinical advice designed to prevent illness, improve health, enhance clinical care, and support the states and territories in achieving consistent standards.
More information about NHMRC can be found at www.nhmrc.gov.au.
About the Australian Dietary Guidelines
The Guidelines provide the evidence base for Australia’s public health nutrition policies and practices. The Guidelines, along with the companion Eat for Health resources, support healthy food choices and eating behaviours for all Australians. They provide information on foods, food groups and dietary patterns that protect against chronic disease and provide the nutrients required for optimal health and wellbeing.
The Guidelines are intended for people of all ages and backgrounds in the general population, including people with common diet-related risk factors such as being overweight. They do not apply to specialised dietary advice required for the treatment of medical conditions.
The 2013 Guidelines include recommendations for considering the environmental impact of food choices in Appendix G. The placement of these messages in an appendix has made them easier to overlook and stakeholder feedback suggests there is low awareness of their existence.
The revision of the 2013 Guidelines was announced in 2020 and the Dietary Guideline Expert Committee established in 2021. During scoping work, the need to update information on sustainable diets was identified as a high priority. The revision of the Guidelines provides an opportunity to improve integration of messages about food sustainability into the Guidelines.
More information on the revision is available on the NHMRC website (Review of the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines).
About the NHMRC guideline process
NHMRC follows a rigorous process to develop guidelines as set out in the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992. Developing or updating NHMRC guidelines involves a thorough review of the evidence, methodological advice on the quality of these reviews, drafting of the guidelines, public consultation and independent expert review of the final guidelines.
A multidisciplinary committee composed of an appropriate mix of subject matter experts, including relevant end users and consumer representatives, advise on this process. For the revision of the 2013 Guidelines this is the Dietary Guidelines Expert Committee. The Sustainability Working Group will provide advice to this committee.
All potential working group members are required to notify NHMRC of their declarations of interest (DOI). NHMRC then determines any DOIs which present an actual or perceived conflict of interest in accordance with the NHMRC Policy on the Disclosure of Interests Requirements for Prospective and Appointed NHMRC Committee Members (2019). This policy requires that all potential conflicts of interest are declared and identifies the following as conflicts of interest:
- any relevant direct or pecuniary interest (for instance, having provided expert testimony for a fee on behalf of an entity with a commercial or other interest in the issues being considered by the Committee)
- working and personal relationships, including board membership, employment at the same organisation, shares and/or ownership or consultancies between the prospective member or ‘immediate family members’ (partner and dependent children) and corporations whose products or services are related to the issues being considered by the Committee or that have a commercial or other interest in the issues being considered by the Committee
- affiliations or associations with any organisations or activities which could reasonably be perceived to be an influence due to a competing interest either for or against the issues being considered by the Committee.
About the Australian Dietary Guidelines Sustainability Working Group
Successful individuals had to meet the following criteria:
Essential criteria
- Tertiary qualifications and recognised expertise in the fields of evidence translation, research methodology, environmental science, agriculture/aquaculture, food science/manufacturing, public policy, economics/social economics/sociology, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, regional and remote areas, or social equity
- Experience critically analysing scientific evidence, including experience evaluating certainty of evidence, and translating this evidence into policy
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Demonstrated participation in research in the last 5 years
- A minimum of 10 years of experience as an academic, researcher, practitioner, or professional in their field
- Absence of any financial interest, affiliations or associations with organisations or activities which could reasonably be perceived to be an influence either for or against the issues being considered.
Desirable criteria
- Principal investigator for research relating to diet and a field of evidence translation, research methodology, environmental science, agriculture/aquaculture, food science/manufacturing, public policy, economics/social economics/sociology, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, regional and remote areas, or social equity.
About the process
To be considered for appointment, individuals needed to:
- Submit a maximum one page pitch demonstrating how they meet the criteria
- Submit a maximum two page curriculum vitae with the relevant information to support their pitch. The curriculum vitae should include details specific to education, employment, peer-reviewed publications, presentation, blogs, funding sources, and other affiliations.
- Acknowledge they are aware that NHMRC will assess applications based on their expertise and any perceived or actual conflicts of interest.
How will applications be assessed?
Individuals will be shortlisted initially on their demonstrated ability to meet the selection criteria. Shortlisted individuals will be contacted to provide further detail on their declarations of interest. Further shortlisting will occur based on declared interests.
Final recommendations for appointment will be presented to the NHMRC Chief Executive Officer for approval and appointment.
Efforts will be made to balance the areas of expertise in the Working Group as well as diversity in relation to gender and cultural background.
Applicants are encouraged to consider the expected duration of the appointment prior to applying. It is NHMRC’s preference that members are available to be appointed for the full term.
Late applications or applications which do not clearly demonstrate meeting the selection criteria or do not comply with the submission requirements will not be considered.
Applications closed 3pm AEDT Tuesday 5 March 2024.
Queries on this process can be submitted to dietaryguidelines@nhmrc.gov.au.