Doctors Reform Society of Australia
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by David R Biggins

Guidelines on ethical matters in Aboriginal and Torres Strait health research were released by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in 1991 (1). Earlier this year a draft of an ethical statement for research involving humans was being circulated for comment by the NHMRC (2). These proposed guidelines refer to ‘Collectivities’ in place of specific guidelines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suggesting some people in the research community would like the existing guidelines watered down.

Several submissions responding to the NHMRC Draft Statement expressed serious concerns that the proposed new statement would weaken current controls on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research (3). By only indirectly referring to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guidelines, it’s possible that research could be approved without adherence to their provisions. This was regarded as "unacceptable"(4).

The full text of this article is not currently available online. Contact Carol at the DRS national office for more information.

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			This page was last updated on 10th February, 2003.
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