Under the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992, the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) has statutory responsibility for developing guidelines for the ethical conduct of medical research involving humans. AHEC also produces ethical guidelines covering specific aspects of health and medical research.
General guidelines for research involving humans
Under the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992, AHEC has statutory responsibility for developing guidelines for the conduct of medical research involving humans. The primary guideline prepared by AHEC for this purpose is the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007).
Specific guidelines for research involving humans
AHEC has produced a number of guidelines on ethical issues in specific areas of health and research, many of which are referred to in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007). These areas include assisted reproductive technology, privacy, research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, quality assurance, and genetics.