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Human Research Ethics Committee Statewide Overview |
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On 1 January 2002 a unified Human Research
Ethics Committee (Tasmania) Network began operating a statewide
structure for the consideration of human research ethics.
It is a cooperative arrangement between the University of
Tasmania and the Department of Health & Human Services.
The Network’s three committees report to the Pro Vice-Chancellor
(Research), Professor Allan Canty, (University of Tasmania),
and Dr Martyn Forrest (Secretary – Department of Health
and Human Services).
These committees also report to the NHMRC through
the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC). The HREC (Tasmania)
Network operates in accordance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans,
and the Statement of Policy & Procedures
of the HREC (Tasmania) Network (171KB word doc).
For more information:
 Download the HREC Handbook and Appendices
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The HREC (Tasmania) Network functions with two Ethics Committees:
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Chair |
Tasmania
Social Science HREC |
Associate
Professor Clive Skilbeck (6226 7459) |
Tasmania
Health & Medical HREC |
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The participating institutions that currently access these committees are:
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- University of Tasmania
- Royal Hobart Hospital
- Hobart Private Hospital
- Launceston General Hospital
- North West Regional Hospital
- Calvary Health Care Tasmania
- Australian Maritime College
- Other departments of (or within) the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services.
The terms of reference for the Committees, requirements as to composition and quorums for meetings can be found in Appendix A of the Handbook.
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Principles of the unified HREC System |
- The HREC system is available on a fee-paying basis to any person or group conducting human research in Tasmania.
- Tasmanian individuals, groups or institutions that are not part of the University of Tasmania or the Department of Health and Human Services may also participate on a fee-per-application basis.
- The HREC system accommodates workload by allocating applications between the Committees.
- The HREC system seeks to:
- provide a well-coordinated, systematic approach to the ethical assessment of human research;
- provide consistency in approach and decision-making; and
- remove duplication in HREC procedures in Tasmania.
- The HRECs, which make up the unified system are decision-making bodies, i.e. their decisions on the ethical aspects of projects are not subject to institutional ratification.
- Any application is considered by only one of the two
HRECs.
- Each HREC that is part of the unified system recognizes the decisions made by another HREC within the system.
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