The joint inquiry into the protection of human genetic information by the Australian Law Reform Commission and the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) (a principal committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council) began in February 2001.
18.10.2010
Full Australian Government Response to ALRC Report 96
The Australian Government issued a formal response to the recommendations of ALRC Report 96 on 9 December 2005, accepting many of the recommendations of the report. This is the full text of the response, which is available on the website of the Attorney-General’s Department, and has been reproduced by the ALRC with permission.IntroductionThe inquiry into …
Read more14.07.2010
ALRC submission to the inquiry into the past and present practices of donor conception in Australia
Ms Julie DennettCommittee SecretarySenate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs 14 July 2010 Dear Ms Dennett, Inquiry into the past and present practices of donor conception in Australia The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Senate Standing Committee’s inquiry into donor conception practices in Australia, referring to prior …
Read more07.08.2008
DNA testing online: marketing hype or medical breakthrough?
Public meeting: DNA shampoo? Diet and exercise regimes tailored to your own genetic makeup? Cosmetics blended to address your particular ‘wrinkle genes’? A DNA test to determine which sport best suits your child? DNA tests available on the internet to calculate your genetic risk for breast cancer, diabetes or Alzheimer’s disease? This is no longer …
Read more28.02.2008
Ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
28 February 2008: ALRC submission in relation to the possible ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Thank you for the opportunity to take part in the consulation process regarding possible ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) …
Read more09.12.2005
Australia ‘well placed’ to lead world in protecting human genetic information
Friday, 9 December 2005: Australia will be well placed to meet the challenges posed by rapid advances in genetic science and technology, with the Australian Government accepting most of the recommendations of a landmark report on genetic privacy and discrimination. Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) President Professor David Weisbrot said he was “delighted with the Government’s positive and comprehensive …
Read more24.11.2005
Draft Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
24 November 2005: ALRC submission on Draft Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (24 November 2005)The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) notes that the Convention currently prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.[1] ‘Discrimination on the basis of disability’ is defined in …
Read more08.08.2005
Policy Transparency, Genetic Counselling and the Required Legal Infrastructure
Presentation by Professor David Weisbrot, President of the Australian Law Reform Commission, to the Symposium on ‘The Legal Implications of Biobanking: An Initial Review of the Legal Infrastructure Development of Taiwan’s Pilot Project’, 8 August 2005. Synopsis Following the sequencing success of the Human Genome Project, research into population genetics is likely to bring the next generation of …
Read more20.11.2003
The Kirby Oration – The Human Genome: Lessons for Life, Love and the Law
Professor David Weisbrot, President, Australian Law Reform CommissionThe 8th AIHLE Annual Conference, Hobart, 20 November 2003 First, thank you very much to the Board of the Australian Institute of Health Law and Ethics (AIHLE) and the organisers of this conference, for the great honour of being invited to deliver the opening address. It is a …
Read more30.05.2003
Essentially Yours: The Protection of Human Genetic Information in Australia (ALRC Report 96)
ALRC Report 96 (tabled May 2003) was the product of a two-year inquiry by the ALRC and the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) of the NHMRC, involving extensive research and widespread public consultation.The inquiry was the most comprehensive ever undertaken into these issues in Australia or overseas.The report covers an extensive range of activities in …
Read more06.05.2003
Protection of human genetic information
The terms of reference directed the ALRC and the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) to consider, with respect to human genetic information and the samples from which such information is derived, how best to:protect privacy;protect against unfair discrimination; andensure the highest ethical standards in research and practice.The experience of the inquiry, mirrored overseas, is that …
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