Public consultation on Section 4 of the National Statement

Invitation to make a submission 

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is conducting a public consultation on proposed revisions to Section 4 of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. NHMRC is also proposing the inclusion of revised language in other sections of the National Statement to support the update to Section 4. 

Developed by NHMRC’s Australian Health Ethics Committee, the revised Section 4 provides advice for both researchers and Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) addressing ethical considerations specific to participants in research.

Section 4 underwent a previous public consultation in 2020 and this revised Section 4 has responded to feedback from stakeholders who participated in that consultation. The revised sections are accompanied by explanatory material to provide clarity about the changes in structure and content that have been introduced to these sections.

NHMRC invites feedback from interested parties, in particular on whether the revised section:

• provides sufficient guidance to address the key ethical considerations specific to participants in research
• is presented and written in a manner that is appropriate for the target audience (researchers, HRECs).

NHMRC is keen to ensure that the Australian community has the best opportunity to participate in developing guidance on the ethical design, review and conduct of human research and seeks your feedback on the proposed changes to the National Statement. Submissions received as part of the public consultation will be considered in the final revision of Section 4.

The closing date for this public consultation is 5:00pm (AEST) Friday 15 September 2023.

Yours sincerely

Prue Torrance
General Manager
National Health and Medical Research Council