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AHREC reviews research proposals that are directly related to the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people in South Australia and concern any of the following:

  • The experience of Aboriginal people is an explicit focus of all or part of the research,
  • Data collection is explicitly directed at Aboriginal people,
  • Aboriginal peoples as a group are to be examined in the results,
  • May impact one or more Aboriginal communities,
  • Aboriginal health funds are a source of funding,
  • Review of government services that have an impact on Aboriginal communities or organisations and there is an intention to disseminate key findings or recommendations in a public report.

All research proposals that meet the above criteria must be submitted to AHREC for review, irrespective of whether they have been submitted to and approved by another HREC.

If you are unsure whether your research proposal should be submitted, please contact the AHREC Secretariat via [email protected]

AHREC's History

The AHREC was established in 1986 to promote and support quality health research for the benefit of Aboriginal people and communities in South Australia.

AHRECs objectives are to:

  • protect the welfare, rights, dignity and safety of participants and their communities involved in research, and the subsequent outcomes of research into Aboriginal health in South Australia,
  • promote ethical principles in Aboriginal health-related research,
  • provide independent Aboriginal oversight of health-related research proposals relevant to Aboriginal people and their communities in South Australia, and
  • facilitate ethical research through efficient and effective processes to review the conduct and outcomes of research.

As a registered Human Research Ethics Committee with the National Health and Medical Research Council, AHREC is guided by the principles set out in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research and the Guidelines for ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities.

Membership

The AHREC is constituted in accordance with paragraphs 5.1.30 – 5.1.39 of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.

At each meeting, the membership includes the following categories:

  • Chair: a chairperson with suitable experience, including previous membership of an HREC, whose other responsibilities will not impair the HREC’s capacity to carry out its obligations under the National Statement
  • Community members: two people who bring a broad Community or consumer perspective and who have no paid affiliation with the institution
  • Health practitioner: a person with knowledge of, and current experience in, the professional care or treatment of people
  • Elder/Community leader: a person who performs a pastoral care role in a Community, for example, an Aboriginal Elder or Community leader, or a minister of religion
  • Lawyer: a qualified lawyer, who, where possible, is not engaged to advise AHCSA on research-related or any other matters
  • Researcher: two people with current research experience that is relevant to research proposals to be considered at the meetings they attend

Interested in joining AHREC?

Work with AHREC to ensure research is beneficial for our Community – With Mob, for Mob, and focused on real outcomes.

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Application Process

All new research proposals must be submitted using the AHREC application form (download the form here)

AHREC does not accept the NEAF, HREA or application forms of other HRECs.

The completed AHREC application form and other study documentation (e.g., participant information sheet and consent form, data collection tools, advertising material) should be merged into one editable PDF file. The study protocol should be submitted as a separate attachment.

Applications should be signed by the Principal Researcher (electronic signature will be accepted) and submitted to the AHREC Secretariat via email to [email protected].

Please mark all correspondence as ‘Confidential’.

Modification/Extension requests (download the form here) and progress and final reports (download the form here) must be submitted using the corresponding AHREC template.

Any proposed changes to an approved research project must be submitted using the Modification Request form. For each study document amended, a tracked and clean version should be submitted to assist the committee with review, including the AHREC application form.

Completed modification/extension requests and progress/final reports must be submitted to the AHREC Secretariat via email to [email protected].

Please mark all correspondence as ‘Confidential’.

AHREC meetings are held a minimum of eight (8) times a year, excluding January.

All applications must be submitted by the last day of the month prior to the meeting date. Applications submitted after this deadline will be considered at the following scheduled meeting.

Applications are generally assigned to the meeting agenda according to the order in which they are submitted. The committee reserves the right to limit the number of new research proposals reviewed at the meeting.

The AHREC Secretariat will send you an email notification once your application is assigned to a meeting agenda.

23 February 2026

23 March 2026

27 April 2026

25 May 2026

22 June 2026

24 August 2026

28 September 2026

26 October 2026

23 November 2026

The above meeting dates are subject to change. For queries, please contact the AHREC Secretariat via [email protected]

Assessment Criteria

All research submitted to AHREC must:

  • place the needs, priorities and wellbeing of the South Australian Aboriginal Community before the needs of the study, and present a partnership approach at all phases, with a feasible knowledge translation strategy involving relevant Aboriginal organisations,
  • meet with good research practice and present rigorous methodology in terms of quantitative representativeness and qualitative data saturation. The methodology should be designed to adequately answer the research questions and achieve meaningful research outcomes for the South Australian Aboriginal Community.

AHREC review of your application will result in one of the following decisions:

  1. Approved,
  2. Approved, subject to additional conditions
  3. Further information requested
    1. responses to be reviewed out of session by delegated member/s
    2. responses to be reviewed by the full committee at a scheduled meeting
  4. Not reviewed (research proposal is outside committee scope)
  5. Not approved (requires substantial revision for full committee review at a scheduled meeting)
  6. Not approved (final decision)

The AHREC Secretariat will notify you of the committee’s decision via email approximately 1 week following the meeting date. The correspondence will include an explicit statement that the research proposal meets or does not meet the requirements of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research, and guidelines on how to appropriately respond to the AHREC feedback.

Submitted responses to the AHREC feedback will be considered according to the outcome decision. Following this, the committee may provide approval of your research or return the application with additional feedback.

AHREC Forms

Complaints

AHREC is committed to ensuring that any person or organisation participating in an AHREC-approved research project has access to an independent and confidential reporting mechanism for concerns or complaints about that research.

AHREC Secretariat

Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia,

220 Franklin Street, Adelaide SA 5000

[email protected]

Credit: Illustration by Allan Sumner, 2016 | This artwork is a fusion of symbols that represent the values that form the honourable foundation of the Aboriginal Health Research Ethics Committee and protect Aboriginal families and communities across Australia. It visually pieces together, in waveform, a representation of AHREC’s collective cohesion and connectedness.