Submission to the Review of Consumer and Community Involvement in Health Research

LGB Alliance Australia has made a submission to the NHMRC on its Draft Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research. We support genuine consumer engagement, but the draft risks allowing advocacy interests or consumer influence to override scientific independence. It lacks strong conflict of interest rules and places too much weight on lived experience without recognising viewpoint diversity.

We call for clearer role definitions, enforceable conflict of interest requirements, and safeguards that keep health research grounded in evidence and scientific integrity.