Indigenous issues portal

Welcome to the Indigenous Issues portal.

Here you will find information about how the NHMRC supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and links to relevant NHMRC web pages and other websites.

This web page provides information on:

Introduction

The NHMRC is committed to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  This commitment covers all aspects of the NHMRC’s mandate: support for health and medical research, fostering health and medical research ethics and fostering the development of consistent health standards.

NHMRC’s commitment is being implemented through a strategic approach based on priorities identified by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and delivered within the context of a whole-of-government approach to Indigenous affairs.

NHMRC’s activities have been guided by an extensive nation-wide consultative process conducted by the Research Agenda Working Group (RAWG) in 2002 in partnership with the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH).

The RAWG process resulted in the development and adoption of the NHMRC Road Map: A strategic Framework for improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health through research (commonly referred to as The NHMRC Road Map) and the Final Report of Community Consultations on the NHMRC Road Map.

At its 144th Session in October 2002, the NHMRC’s Council agreed to adopt Indigenous health research as a strategic priority and to implement The NHMRC Road Map.  Council also made a commitment to allocate at least 5% of its future research budget to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. The Minister for Health and Ageing endorsed this approach and specific objectives and performance measures were set out in the NHMRC Strategic Plan 2003 – 2006.

The NHMRC introduced a number of structural changes to support the implementation of the Strategic Plan.  These were appointing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals to the Council and NHMRC Principal and Working Committees and establishing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Forum (Forum) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Working Committee. In 2007 these committees were restructured to form a single Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Research Advisory Committee to provide high level advice on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and research activities to the Chief Executive Officer.

The NHMRC is also collaborating with its partner agencies in New Zealand and Canada to advance Indigenous health research internationally. The Tripartite Agreement, signed in April 2002, is a five year undertaking involving the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) and the NHMRC.

In entering into the Agreement, the Partner Agencies recognised the disparities in health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in their respective countries; and the desire of Indigenous peoples for research to be undertaken on terms acceptable to them.
The purpose of the agreement is, inter alia, to:

  • Support research in the area of Indigenous peoples' health, with the goal of improving the health of Indigenous peoples in these three countries;
  • Build upon existing networks of researchers;
  • Enable information sharing;
  • Develop innovative research partnerships; and
  • Promote effective and sustainable translation of research findings

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Review of the NHMRC Roadmap

The NHMRC is embarking on a review of 'The NHMRC Road Map: A Strategic Framework for Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Through Research'. This work is being guided by the NHMRC's key advisory committee on Indigenous health issues - the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Research Advisory Committee. Initial information on the review and the approach to seek community consultation is described here.

Dates for the Road Map review consultation workshops:

Date City Venue
20 May Sydney University of NSW
23 May Melbourne Melbourne Zoo
26 May Alice Springs Institute for Aboriginal Development
3 June Perth Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
12 June Townsville James Cook University

» View further information

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Research funding

There has been a steady increase in the proportion of funds allocated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, consistent with the decision by Council to allocate at least 5% of the research budget to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.  Expenditure on Indigenous health research in calendar year 2005 increased to $14.7 million, which represented 3.5% of the total NHMRC research expenditure in 2005. 
By way of comparison, the figures from previous years were:

Year expenditure on Indigenous health % of total research funding
2001 $5.3m 2.6
2002 $5.8m 2.2
2003 $8.4m 2.7
2004 $11.1m 3.2
2005 $17.8m 4.3
2006 $20.9m 4.6
2007 $25.5m 5.1

More detailed information on funded grants in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is available from the NHMRC grant dataset.

The NHMRC funds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research across all its funding schemes.  In addition, the NHMRC has established specific funding schemes to support research in priority areas and to build capacity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

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See more information on the following funding schemes:

The NHMRC’s commitment to increase the quantum of funds allocated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research is matched by a commitment to ensuring that research which it funds is not only of the highest scientific merit but that it is beneficial and acceptable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

The NHMRC has established specific requirements and processes for all grant applications that involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research. Indigenous Health Research Panels (IHRPs) assess all such applications against the Criteria for Health and Medical Research of Indigenous Australians.

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Research ethics

In implementing its mandate to foster consideration of ethical issues relating to health, the NHMRC has undertaken specific activities to address concerns articulated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in relation to the ethics of health research.

In 1991, the NHMRC developed the Interim Guidelines on Ethical Matters in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research.  These were reviewed and, in 2003, replaced by Values and Ethics: Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research.  In 2005, the NHMRC published Keeping research on track: a guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples about health research ethics.

Values and ethics and Keeping research on track have been published as a resource package and are available in hard copy from National Mailing and Marketing, PO Box 7077, Canberra BC ACT 2610. E-mail: nmm@nationalmailing.com.au

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Health advice

In implementing its mandate to between the various States and Territories, the NHMRC develops, or endorses guidelines and provides advice to the Australian people and Government on health matters.  The NHMRC has implemented a number of initiatives that address health priority areas for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Strengthening Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples – A guide for health professionals was endorsed by Council in September 2005. 

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines: Community Water Planner - A tool for small communities to develop drinking water management plans has been developed to support the implementation of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, Framework for Management of Drinking Water Quality management approach in small communities by assisting local drinking water managers to develop drinking water risk management plans tailored to their community.

The NHMRC is working with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health to develop a best practice guide for health care providers and data custodians for including Indigenous status in health data collections.  The project will address the issue of consistency in eliciting information on Indigenous status.  More information on this initiative will be posted on this website as it becomes available.

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NHMRC publications

» See more information on NHMRC publications on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

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NHMRC media releases

2004 Jan $7 million for Indigenous health research
2004 Jan NHMRC Offers $7 Million To Promote Indigenous Health Research
2003 Jul Indigenous health research wins new centre of excellence
2003 Jun Young Researchers Appointed to Health Ethics Watchdog
2003 Jun Indigenous Health Workers Appointed to Leading Health Advisory Body
2003 Jun Young Indigenous Researchers Appointed to Prestigious Research Committee
2003 Mar NHMRC Announces Exciting Indigenous Health Initiatives
2002 Dec Victorian Researchers to Receive Federal Funding for Research into Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
2002 Dec $1.7 Million for Better Understanding of Healthy Ageing
2002 Jul NHMRC Spending $22.4 Million on Diabetes Research
2002 Jul NHMRC Joins New Zealand and Canada to Collaborate on Indigenous Health Research

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Funding for Indigenous Health Research Community consultations

» See more information on the Funding for Indigenous Health Research Community consultations

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Other websites

The following websites contain information which may be of interest:

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