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Modernising the National Health and Medical Research Council

Martin B Van Der Weyden
Med J Aust 2005; 183 (7): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb07077.x
Published online: 3 October 2005

The NHMRC is at a fork in the road — which route will the government take?

When the then Commonwealth Minister for Health, William (Billy) Hughes defined the role of the newly formed National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in 1936, he noted that:1


  • The Medical Journal of Australia, Sydney, NSW.


Correspondence: 

  • 1. Cumpston JHL. The health of the people. A study of federalism. Roebuck Society Publication No. 19. Canberra: Roebuck Society, 1978: 65-76.
  • 2. The National Health and Medical Research Council. Members of council. Available at: http://www7.health.gov.au/nhmrc/about/council/index.htm#3 (accessed Aug 2005). Mission statement. Available at: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about/role/corporate.htm#1 (accessed Aug 2005).
  • 3. Anderson W. Ten challenges for Australian health and medical research. Australian Society for Medical Research Newsletter 2005; April: 2-3. Available at: http://www.asmr.org.au/news/newsletters/AP05New.pdf (accessed Aug 2005).
  • 4. Sustaining the virtuous cycle for a healthy, competitive Australia. Investment review of health and medical research. Final report. December 2004 (“The Grant Report”). Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2004. Executive summary available at: http://www.researchaustralia.com.au/files/IRHMR_Executive_Summary.pdf (accessed Aug 2005).
  • 5. Tackling chronic diseases: exploration of key research dimensions. Synopsis of a workshop, 5–6 July 2001, Melbourne. Strategic Research Development Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council, and Population Health Division of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. Available at: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/_files/ph51.pdf (accessed Aug 2005).
  • 6. Van Der Weyden MB. Australia’s national research priorities [From the Editor’s desk]. Med J Aust 2005; 182: 545. <MJA full text>
  • 7. Rawlins MD. Nice work — providing guidance to the British National Health Service. N Engl J Med 2004; 351: 1383-1385.
  • 8. The societal value of health research [editorial]. Lancet 2005; 365: 1826.
  • 9. Van Der Weyden MB. The people’s research project [From the Editor’s desk]. Med J Aust 2003; 179: 393. <MJA full text>
  • 10. Zerhouni E. Medicine. The NIH Roadmap. Science 2003; 302: 63-72.
  • 11. Kondro W. CIHR seeks to double budget. CMAJ 2004; 170: 777.
  • 12. Minister for Health and Ageing (Tony Abbott). New governance arrangements for the NHMRC next year. Media release, 7 Sep 2005.
  • 13. The Auditor-General. Governance of the National Health and Medical Research Council. Summary and recommendations. National Health and Medical Research Council. Department of Health and Ageing. Audit report No. 29 2003–04. Available at: http://www.anao.gov.au/WebSite.nsf/Publications/43951F0CEE2A6186CA256E3F0013CD33 (accessed Sep 2005).

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