Specialist Ethics Approvals

Early Phase Clinical Trial Requirements

As of April 2018, The Office for Health and Medical Research - NSW Health mandated that Early Phase Clinical Trials (EPCTs) must be submitted and reviewed to Sydney Children’s Health Network (SCHN) for paediatric studies or Bellberry Limited for adult studies.

The South Western Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee is not able to provide ethics approval for EPCTs. Please click here to view the document.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) HREC

If your study will involve accessing data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), please contact them about whether this data is publicly available, or whether it will require ethics approval from the AIHW Human Research Ethics Committee. If you are proposing data linkage with AIHW data, such as the National Death Index, please contact the AIHW about submitting an ethics application to the AIHW HREC. This application will need to be made in addition to your ethics application the SWSLHD HREC. Further information on accessing AIHW data and submitting to the AIHW HREC can be found in the links below:
AIHW home page: https://www.aihw.gov.au/
AIHW HREC: https://www.aihw.gov.au/our-services/ethical-hrec-review
AIHW ethics application information: https://www.aihw.gov.au/about-us/committees/aihw-ethics-committee/lodging-an-application-to-the-aihw-ethics-committe
Information on data linkage with AIHW: https://www.aihw.gov.au/our-services/data-linkage
Contact details:
• Phone: +61 2 6244 1000
• Email: icssec@aihw.gov.au.

Population and Health Services Research Ethics Committee (PHSREC)

If your research involves access to only NSW state-wide data collections, it must be reviewed by the Population and Health Services Research Ethics Committee (PHSREC). All research involving access to data collections owned or managed by NSW Health or the Cancer Institute NSW must be reviewed by the NSW PHSREC. If your application will involve linkage between NSW-only data collections and Commonwealth data collections, your research will need to be reviewed separately by the PHSREC and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare HRECs.
Please see the links below for further details:
PHSREC home: https://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/research-and-data/nsw-population-health-services-research-ethics-com
PHSREC how to apply: https://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/research-and-data/nsw-population-health-services-research-ethics-com/how-to-apply
PHSREC Ethics FAQ: https://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/research-and-data/nsw-population-health-services-research-ethics-com/ethics-faq
Contact details:
• Phone: Phone: 02 8374 5689
• Email: CINSW-Ethics@health.nsw.gov.au

Aboriginal Health &Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) HREC

If your research project relates or targets Aboriginal people and communities, or may affect the health and well-being of Aboriginal people and communities, then you may need to submit an ethics application to the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) of New South Wales, in addition to your ethics application to the SWSLHD HREC.
An application should be made to the AH&MRC for research for which any one of the following applies:
• The experience of Aboriginal people is an explicit focus of all or part of the research;
• Data collection is explicitly directed at Aboriginal peoples;
• Aboriginal peoples, as a group, are to be examined in the results;
• The information has an impact on one or more Aboriginal communities;
• Aboriginal health funds are a source of funding.
If you application involves any of the above, please contact the AH&MRC to discuss your project.
Please see the links below for further information:
AH&MRC Ethics home page: https://www.ahmrc.org.au/ethics-main-page/
AH&MRC information for potential applicants: https://www.ahmrc.org.au/submit-an-ethics-application/
Contact details:
• Phone: (02) 9212 4777

Justice Health HREC

Does your research involve the health and wellbeing of people in custody in NSW? Does it involve Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network staff or is it carried out by Network staff? Does your research involve Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network Program services or specific populations? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you will need to submit an application to the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network HREC for ethics approval, in addition to your ethics application to the SWSLHD HREC. Please see the links below for further details:
Justice Health HREC: https://www.justicehealth.nsw.gov.au/research/jh-fmhn-human-research-ethics-committee
Information for potential applicants: https://www.justicehealth.nsw.gov.au/research/do-i-need-to-apply-for-ethics-approval
Contact details:
• Phone: +612 9700 3443
• Email: JHFMHN-Ethics@health.nsw.gov.au