6. Ethics guidelines and ethical clearances for the evaluation of new income management

6.1 Ethics guidelines

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has a set of advice and guidelines on ethics and related issues in the fields of health and human research. The evaluation should be undertaken in accordance with these guidelines and should, in our view, be approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee which is registered with the Australian Health Ethics Committee. In addition, when working in the NT approval may be required from the relevant NT ethics committees.

A significant portion of evaluation participants are likely to be of Indigenous background. The NHMRC guidelines include guidance for conducting research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.5

In undertaking research with Indigenous people, particular attention needs to be paid to ensuring that participation is both informed and voluntary. Consideration needs to be given to the values underlying ethical research with Indigenous people - reciprocity, respect, equality, responsibility, survival and protection, spirit and integrity-across all aspects of the research process, including:

• consultation and negotiation
• mutual understanding of the purpose of the research
• the use of culturally appropriate instruments
• use of and access to research results, and
• communication of findings at a local level.

Consultation should begin prior to the commencement of the research and occur as an ongoing process throughout the evaluation. Consultation should be premised on respect, negotiation, and informed consent. Individuals and communities may need time to consider a proposed research project and to discuss its implications. Consultation and negotiation should achieve mutual understanding and agreement about the research’s aims, methodology, and implementation, as well as the use of the results it produces.

It is important that the consultation and negotiation process is not considered merely an opportunity for researchers to tell the community what they, the researchers, want. Indigenous knowledge systems and processes must be respected and acknowledged. Research in Indigenous studies must show an appreciation of the diversity and uniqueness of people and individuals. The intellectual and cultural property rights of Indigenous people must be respected, preserved, and acknowledged. Indigenous researchers, individuals and communities should be invited to be involved in research directly and as collaborators.