From Desert to Oasis: Community Engagement in Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Kosky M¹*

1. Health Consumers Council (WA) Inc., Perth, Western Australia, Australia

In 1992, the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 introduced formal requirements for public consultation whenever the NHMRC undertook certain activities. This was the first time such a requirement had been made explicit through the Parliament although the NHMRC already had an environment of consultation with key stakeholders.

Since 1992, the NHMRC has grappled with the concept of “public consultation” and how this can best be achieved, especially when the subject matter can be quite technical. Over time, there was a shift from meeting the letter of the law to addressing the spirit of the law.

With the start of the new century the NHMRC has moved further towards community engagement, entering into dialogue and partnerships between researchers and health professionals and the community. The result has been an enriching of the NHMRC’s programs and clearer directions for future involvement by the community in the work of NHMRC.

Click here to view the full paper