Category: News

The WAHTN warmly congratulates the members of WA’s health and medical research community who have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday 2021 Honours list.

We are delighted to see nine Western Australians associated with our partner organisations receiving honours for their dedication and outstanding contributions.

Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

• Emeritus Professor Colin Binns (for distinguished service to medical research, to tertiary education, to public health policy and human nutrition)
• Professor Susan Fletcher (for distinguished service to medical research, to neurological science, and to the treatment and support of those with Muscular Dystrophy)
• Professor Stephen Wilton (for distinguished service to medical research, to neurological science, and to the treatment of Muscular Dystrophy)

Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

• Professor Frank Mastaglia (for significant service to neuromuscular disease, and to professional associations)
• Dr Albert Tan (for significant service to tertiary dental education, and to periodontics)

Medal (OAM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

• Associate Professor Ramesh Balasubramaniam (for service to dentistry)
• Dr Geoffrey Byrne (for service to paediatric endocrinology)
• Mrs Oriel Green (for service to the Indigenous community of Western Australia)
• Dr John van Bockxmeer (for service to medicine, and to the community)

The Department of Health is calling for tender submissions to conduct an evaluation into the impact of the ‘No Jab No Play’ laws in WA. Under these laws, children whose immunisation status is not up-to-date are not permitted to enrol in child care or pre-compulsory schooling, with few exceptions.

The evaluation must cover the impact of these laws on families, early education providers and immunisation providers. Results of the evaluation will help to inform a review of the laws in 2022.

For further information, please visit TendersWA and search for request no. DoH20216858.

Applications close Friday 14 May 2021.

The Western Australian Future Health Research & Innovation Fund is seeking nominations from people who are interested in being a reviewer in application review processes in the future. Further information and the EoI registration page can be found here

State Government has awarded almost $6 million to local researchers and innovators to tackle health and wellbeing challenges related to the COVID-19 emergency. Please click here to read the full article.

View the FHRI Focus Grants: COVID-19 Recipients page for the full list of recipients.

Information on other FHRI Fund programs administered by the Research and Innovation Office can be accessed by checking the Current Opportunities page on the FHRI Fund website.

Congratulations to Professor Peter Leedman who has been awarded Officer of the Order of Australia (in the General division) at the recently announced Australia Day 2021 Honours list. Peter has been recognised for distinguished service to medicine, health and medical research as a physician-scientist, to professional societies, and to tertiary education.

Professor Leedman has actively supported WAHTN in various roles over the years and is currently serving as a WAHTN Executive Board Member.

To be recognised in the prestigious Honours list is testament to Peter’s remarkable work with health and medical research.

Congratulations to Professor Steve Webb on his nomination for The Australian Newspaper 2021 Australian of the Year Award for his leadership of the Randomised, Embedded, Multi-factorial, Adaptive Platform for Community-Acquired Pneumonia (REMAP-CAP).

Steve has coordinated efforts from around the world to uncover some of the best intensive care treatments for COVID-19, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Steve was actively involved in the WAHTN COVID-19 Research Collaboration sharing his knowledge from the clinical trials perspective.

Steve Webb is currently serving on the WAHTN Management Committee representing St John of God Healthcare where he specialises in designing and conducting clinical trials that generate evidence to improve patient care. In addition, Steve is the founding Director of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance and currently ACTA Board Deputy Chair.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies (GERAIS), the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) undertook a review of the Guidelines, led by the AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee, Research Advisory Committee and Council. In 2019 AIATSIS released the revised guidelines for public consultation. The consultation draft included reframing the guidelines into a ‘Code of Ethics’ or ‘Code of Ethical and Responsible Conduct’, and providing an accompanying Guide to Applying the Code.

The University of Western Australia are pleased to advise that the revised guidelines are now available – AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (AIATSIS Code of Ethics) in conjunction with A guide to applying the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research. These documents will supersede and replace the Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies 2012 (GERAIS).

The Australian Medical Research Priorities for 2020-2022 have been released and were developed by the independent Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB) following a comprehensive national consultation process. Community and sector engagement on the development of the Priorities is critically important as the Priorities serve to inform future Government decisions on MRFF initiatives and investments. The 2020 consultation engaged the Australian public, organisations with expertise in health and medical research and innovation, consumer representatives, clinicians and health services managers.

Please visit the Department of Health website to read on and for a comprehensive breakdown of the 2020-2022 Priorities.

An omnibus Bill has been introduced into the State Parliament seeking to extend the timeframe for the COVID-19 legislative amendments that have helped Western Australia successfully manage the global pandemic and better protect Western Australians.

The COVID-19 Response Legislation Amendment (Extension of Expiring Provisions) Bill 2020 will also ensure that the amendments made to protect and support our emergency and frontline workers will remain in place for longer, providing much-needed certainty.

The Bill amends the Emergency Management Amendment (COVID-19 Response) Act 2020 and the Criminal Code Amendment (COVID-19 Response) Act 2020, which had appropriate 12-month sunset clauses from when they came into operation on April 3.

Those Amendment Acts introduced new clauses into the Emergency Management Act to give hazard management officers or authorised officers the necessary ability to direct a person or class of persons to take any action the officer considered reasonably necessary to prevent, control or abate risks associated with COVID-19.

The Acts also increased penalties for serious assaults and threats in the context of COVID-19 against public officers such as frontline workers or police.

These increased penalties of up to 10 years’ jail reflect the seriousness of deliberately coughing or spitting on public officers who are trying to help keep the State safe.

These new amendments enabled WA to implement its border arrangements, put in place quarantining measures that stopped the spread of the virus, and allowed contact tracing and physical distancing measures in line with the health advice to better protect Western Australians.

The new Bill will seek to extend those necessary provisions for another six months from April 4, 2021 until October 4, 2021.

Read the full media statement

The McGowan Government has announced the make-up of the Advisory Council of WA’s Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund.

The FHRI Fund was the centrepiece of the State Government’s commitment to drive research and innovation in Western Australia by providing the State’s health and medical researchers and innovators with a secure and ongoing source of funding.

Its establishment followed legislation that repurposed the WA Future Fund (the State’s sovereign wealth fund) – allowing interest earned on it to be directed to local health and medical research, innovation and commercialisation.

The Advisory Council of eminent Western Australians will provide high-level advice to the Health Minister and the Department of Health.

The announcement of the council coincides with the launch of the WA Future Health Research and Innovation Fund Strategy 2020-2022 which will provide direction for FHRI Fund activities.

Read the full media statement