Application process

All research projects that involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples requires ethics review and approval before the project begins.

This provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities who are involved in the research with assurance that their rights, culture and heritage are respected, that they understand the aims and methods of the research, and that they will share in the results of this work.

This is a requirement of the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research, which embodies the best standards of ethical research and human rights.

Please send your application form and all supporting documents to the AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee Secretariat via ethics@aiatsis.gov.au

Submission deadlines

Please Note: Meeting and submission deadlines are subject to change periodically. Please ensure you check this page regularly to ensure you have the most up to date information on when to submit your application for review.

All submissions are due by 11:59pm Canberra time on the closing date. Unfortunately, due to the timeframes required for the distribution and review of papers by the Committee, the Secretariat is unable to grant extensions to the deadlines below. 

*Please note that Preliminary Review is an important step of the process for ethical review by the AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee. All applications must go through this in order to be allocated for review in the next meeting. 

How to apply for ethics approval

Application fees

Please note that application fees are subject to change.

* A community ethics application, resubmission or variation is subject to a receipt of a signed letter that addresses the following criteria:

• The lead organisation must be one of the following:
  • Prescribed Body Corporate (PBC) or Registered Native Title Body Corporate (RNTBC)
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak community organisation
  • Community Services Organisation (as defined by the ATO)
• A lead organisation is one in which:
  • The Chief Investigator/s is/are primarily employed and/or associated with the organisation, and
  • The Chief Investigator/s is/are making a significant intellectual or scholarly contribution to the research, as defined by the NHMRC’s guide to authorship
• An organisation that meets these criteria is disqualified if the research is:
  • Being conducted with non-Indigenous corporate and/or academic partners (e.g., an evaluation)

** A Student ethics application, resubmission or variation is subject to proof of enrolment and a statement that confirms the project is not funded by any organisation, external to the hosting university.

*** An administrative variation involves:

• Changes to project end dates
• Minor project staffing changes

How to submit a project variation

Please be aware that expired ethics approvals cannot be extended. Carefully check your Approval letter for the expiry date of your ethics approval. If an extension is necessary, submit a variation well in advance of the expiry date.

Variations to approved applications must be submitted to the Co-Chairpersons for review and approval. Variations can be submitted at any point as they are reviewed by the Co-Chairpersons outside of a review meeting. However, depending on the complexity of the variation, and if the Co-Chairpersons deem it necessary, of the variation it may be reviewed in session by the entire Committee. In this instance the variation will be allocated to the next available meeting.

Variations must include the following:

• Variation letter addressed to the Committee Co-Chairpersons.
• Revised ethics application form, with tracked changes.
• Any relevant supporting documents.

Variations can be submitted via email to the Research Ethics Committee Secretariat, ethics@aiatsis.gov.au

Monitoring and reporting

Under the National Statement, section 5.5.5, it is mandatory for approved projects to submit annual reports. The report must detail the progress on research, maintenance and security of records, compliance with the approved protocols and compliance with any conditions of approval. The Secretariat to the AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee is responsible for reviewing annual reports, and will refer to the Committee, if necessary.

Reports can be submitted via email to the Research Ethics Committee Secretariat, ethics@aiatsis.gov.au