New NHMRC Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health Research

Health and medical research has long recognised the value of involving consumers and communities. A new national Statement released by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) reinforces that this involvement is no longer an optional extra—it’s fundamental to high-quality research.

Released in May 2026, the Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research sets a national expectation that consumers and communities should help shape research throughout the entire research lifecycle—from identifying priorities and designing studies through to implementation, translation and evaluation.

While the Statement focuses on health and medical research, its principles are equally relevant to health services, policy development and service improvement. For engagement professionals, it reflects a broader shift towards embedding lived experience, partnership and shared decision-making into the way organisations plan, deliver and evaluate their work.

From participation to partnership

One of the most significant messages in the Statement is the distinction between participation, engagement and involvement.

Participation refers to people taking part in research, while engagement focuses on sharing information about research. Involvement goes further, with consumers and communities actively contributing to decisions about research priorities, design, governance and translation.

It’s a subtle distinction, but an important one.

Meaningful involvement recognises that people with lived experience bring expertise that can strengthen research quality, improve relevance and increase the likelihood that findings translate into better health outcomes.

Moving beyond tokenism

The Statement also addresses an issue many engagement practitioners will recognise—tokenism.

Rather than involving consumers simply to satisfy a funding requirement or governance process, the Statement calls for involvement that is respectful, inclusive and genuinely influential. It identifies values such as trust, reciprocity, equity, transparency and respect for lived experience as central to effective consumer and community involvement.

Importantly, the Statement itself was developed using the approach it promotes. Between 2022 and 2025, more than 1,130 people participated in workshops and 219 written submissions informed its development, bringing together consumers, community members, researchers and research organisations.

What does this mean for engagement professionals?

Whether you’re working in health research, service planning or healthcare delivery, the direction is clear: organisations are increasingly expected to demonstrate how consumer and community perspectives have influenced decisions—not simply that consultation has occurred.

For engagement practitioners, this places greater emphasis on designing involvement that is meaningful, inclusive and capable of shaping outcomes.

The Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA) has also launched its Health Research Hub to support implementation of the Statement, bringing together practical guidance, case studies and resources to help researchers and organisations strengthen consumer and community involvement.

The new Statement reinforces a direction many health organisations are already moving towards: involving consumers and communities as partners throughout planning, research and service improvement—not simply asking for feedback at the end.

To explore more insights, case studies and practical resources on community and stakeholder engagement across the health sector, visit Engagement Institute’s Health Hub.