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HREC member responsibilities

OverviewResponsibilities specific to governanceChairperson's roleRelated resources

This article is part of the Iris Ethics Knowledge Base; you can find a directory of all articles here.

Overview

See Roles and responsibilities in the For HREC Members section for a full description of the individual responsibilities of HREC members under the National Statement (NS 5.2.21–5.2.24). This article addresses responsibilities specific to committee governance, rather than to the review of individual applications.

Responsibilities specific to governance

In the governance context, HREC members are responsible for:

  • Contributing to the development and review of committee policies, including the Terms of Reference (ToR) and Standard Operating Procedures
  • Participating in the committee's self-assessment and quality improvement activities
  • Supporting the induction and mentoring of new members (NS 5.1.26(c))
  • Identifying and disclosing any conflicts of interest in relation to specific research proposals and in relation to the committee's governance arrangements (NS 5.2.24)
  • Maintaining confidentiality in relation to all committee business, including governance matters (NS 5.2.23; ToR 6.4)

Chairperson's role

The chairperson has specific responsibilities for committee governance, including: presiding at meetings and ensuring they are conducted in accordance with the ToR; managing conflicts of interest; delegating review responsibilities appropriately (NS 5.2.9–5.2.10); and representing the committee in its external relationships. The chairperson's conduct sets the tone for the committee's culture of integrity and respect.

Related resources

This page was last updated on 16 September 2026.

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This article makes reference to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2025. It is intended as practical guidance and does not constitute legal advice.

AI Disclosure: Resources in this library were prepared using Large Language Models with input from Iris Ethics staff who guided the scope and design. Subsequent revisions and final versions were developed and approved by Iris Ethics staff.