Ethics and Compliance

Ethics

The Australian College of Optometry is committed to responsible research. Human ethics approval is required for all research conducted with or about people, or their data or tissue. The purpose of ethics review is to facilitate research that fulfils the principles of human research ethics: research merit and integrity, justice, beneficence and respect, following the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research guidelines.

Effective from 30 September 2020, the Australian College of Optometry has closed its HREC (EC00252). The responsibility for the monitoring of all active research projects and the ethics approval of any new project, is/will be transferred to/undertaken by the University of Melbourne Psychology Health and Applied Sciences Human Ethics Sub-Committee (E00246).

Information on how to apply for an ethical review to undertake research within the ACO can be found on the University of Melbourne website.

Please note that ACO institutional governance must approve the project before Commencement.

Complaints

The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research requires that research institutions provide contact details of a person nominated to receive complaints or concerns about human research conduct.

Research participants and others who have a concern or a complaint about a human research project, should contact:

Risk and Business Improvement Officer

Tel: 03 9349 7522

Email: [email protected]

All complaints will be treated confidentially. In any correspondence please provide the name of researcher or research project number if known.