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.
| Meeting number | Closing date for preliminary review* | Closing date for submission of final application | Meeting date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/1 | 11 January 2022 | 25 January 2022 | 15 February 2022 |
| 2022/2 | 8 February 2022 | 22 February 2022 | 15 March 2022 |
| 2022/3 | 8 March 2022 | 22 March 2022 | 12 April 2022 |
| 2022/4 | 5 April 2022 | 19 April 2022 | 10 May 2022 |
| 2022/5 | 10 May 2022 | 24 May 2022 | 14 June 2022 |
| 2022/6 | 7 June 2022 | 21 June 2022 | 12 July 2022 |
| 2022/7 | 12 July 2022 | 26 July 2022 | 16 August 2022 |
| 2022/8 | 9 August 2022 | 23 August 2022 | 13 September 2022 |
| 2022/9 | 6 September 2022 | 20 September 2022 | 11 October 2022 |
| 2022/10 | 11 October 2022 | 25 October 2022 | 15 November 2022 |
*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
-
Step 1: Read the following guidelines
The AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee reviews applications against the standards set by the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007, updated 2018) and the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (2020).
- The AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (PDF, 4MB)
- The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2018)
Applicants may also find the following guide useful when designing a research project:
-
Step 2: Download the application form
You may like to adapt our standard Participant Information Sheet and Informed Consent Form.
Always ensure you are using the latest version of the application form (check the date and version number in the application form footers).
-
Step 3: Submit your completed application for Preliminary Review
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
In this process, the Secretariat will suggest general feedback on the completeness and structure of your application. In addition to this, Preliminary Review screens applications to ensure that applications require, and are suitable for, review by the AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee.
Please note, the Secretariat does not assess ethical considerations. Our feedback is based on the Secretariat's experience of:
- What aspects of applications the Committee commonly query
- What kind of points the Committee often request be clarified
- How the Committee prefers applications to be structured.
Attending closely to the feedback suggested by the Secretariat may help reduce the number of conditions of approval placed on your application by the Committee, and as a result may lead to a faster turnaround in receiving approval for your research project.
Please send your application form and all supporting documents to the AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee Secretariat via ethics@aiatsis.gov.au
-
Step 4: Submit your application for Committee review
Once the Preliminary Review is completed and any revisions to your application have been made, please send your application form and all supporting documents to the AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee Secretariat via ethics@aiatsis.gov.au. All documentation must be received by 11:59pm Canberra time on the closing date to submit an application. The closing date to submit your final application is detailed in the submission deadlines table above.
You will receive an invoice after you have submitted your application.
-
Step 5: Outcome
You will receive an outcome letter, and any relevant feedback from the Committee 10 business days after the meeting date.
-
Step 6: Respond to Committee feedback
Your response to Committee feedback will be due four calendar weeks after receipt of the Committee’s decision. If you do not address the Committee’s feedback within four calendar weeks, your application will be considered withdrawn. Should you wish to reapply, you will be liable for an additional application fee
Application fees
Please note that application fees are subject to change.
| Type of submission | Price (inc. GST) |
|---|---|
| Full ethics application | $3,630 |
| Community ethics application* | $990 |
| Student ethics application** | $550 |
| Full resubmission | $1,815 |
| Community resubmission* | $495 |
| Student resubmission** | $275 |
| Full variation | $907.50 |
| Community variation* | $247.50 |
| Student variation** | $137.50 |
| Administrative variation*** | No charge |
* 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