Safer Care Victoria has published Strategic Ethics Reform Project: What we heard, a report outlining findings from the statewide listening program undertaken between March and June 2026.
Contributors to the statewide listening program described a research assurance system that is highly valued and broadly trusted. They also identified emerging pressures affecting the systems that support ethical review.
The program findings show that ethical review depends on more than Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) processes alone. Contributors consistently described it as one part of a broader system supported by research governance, workforce capability, institutional support, technology, specialist expertise and consumers.
The report identifies seven interconnected themes:
- public trust and confidence
- access to expertise and support
- workforce sustainability
- increasing research complexity
- accreditation and assurance
- research systems and infrastructure
- visibility of the research assurance function.
The report does not announce government decisions, policy changes or accreditation requirements. It presents what we heard from the sector and highlights considerations to inform future discussions about ethical review.
We thank everyone involved in research, research ethics and research governance who contributed their time, expertise and insights to the project.