- Title
- Government-funded health research contracts in Australia: a critical assessment of transparency
- Creator
- Ries, Nola M.; Kypri, Kypros
- Relation
- Sydney Law Review Vol. 40, Issue 3, p. 367-394
- Relation
- http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/SydLawRw/2018/14.html
- Publisher
- University of Sydney, Law School
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2018
- Description
- Australian governments claim to be committed to improving transparency and democratic accountability. Yet they are increasingly contracting out research to external consultants, ‘think tanks’ and universities and the contractual relationships formed can, in fact, promote secrecy and undermine the goals of transparency and public scrutiny of government actions. This article reports on a first-in-kind study of research contracts between Commonwealth and New South Wales Government entities and external providers. Our analysis reveals that ‘control clauses’ are prevalent: contractually, governments can insist on the rights to determine whether, when and how the results of research are publicly disseminated, to claim intellectual property rights over work produced, and to terminate contractual relationships at will and without cause. These findings have troubling implications for government openness and accountability, for academic freedom when university researchers face restrictions on publication, and for evidence-informed policymaking. We propose solutions for proactive information disclosure to ensure that government transparency promises are realised in practice. We advocate for comprehensive public release of contract details and urge governments to publish the findings of contract research in an online repository. Information is a valuable resource. The right information at the right time can expand knowledge, enable innovation, boost productivity, and even save lives. Unlike other valuable resources information is not diminished by use. Indeed, the value of information can be enhanced when it is openly accessible and reused frequently. Missing or buried research represents a democratic deficit. It feeds cynicism and has no place in any honest and well-conducted administration. It is a sad day when Australian researchers talk about suppression of scientific studies and their findings.
- Subject
- government funding; health research; health research contracts; transparency; Australia law
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1403899
- Identifier
- uon:35233
- Identifier
- ISSN:0082-0512
- Language
- eng
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