LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA) welcomes the announcement by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Health and Medical Research Office at the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing that, from 2026, all NHMRC and Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant programs will be required to embed the principles of the Statement on Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation in Health and Medical Research.

“LHA was committed to playing an active role in the development of the Statement and continues to advocate for all research and data collection to be inclusive. Embedding the Statement’s principles into grant applications is a great achievement, I congratulate everyone involved.” Said Nicky Bath, CEO of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia.

This change means that research funded through NHMRC and MRFF must consider sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics, and sexual orientation at all stages of their research, including question setting, design, conduct, analysis, reporting, and implementation of the research. The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2020 Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation will be used to ensure consistent use of definitions and classification.

“Historically, LGBTIQ+ people have been included in research inconsistently and often inadequately, resulting in gaps in evidence and understanding of their needs,” said Bath. “The new requirement will increase  the use of the ABS 2020 standard and help to address these gaps in the evidence base.”  

“Improving research is a priority within the National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People to build health and wellbeing systems that better meet the needs of LGBTIQ+ communities and add rigour to monitoring the Plan’s implementation,” said Bath.

“Partnerships between researchers and the LGBTIQ+ health sector are essential to ensure the new requirements deliver the intended benefits,” said Bath. “Working in partnership with community-controlled organisations will help researchers to embed inclusive principles in their study design and accurately interpret outcomes that are relevant to LGBTIQ+ people.”

Visit the NHMRC webpage for more information.

– END –

View Full Media Release (PDF)

MEDIA CONTACT: 

Mylo Norman. Pronouns: He/Him
Communications Lead

Mobile: 0473 141 779 | Email: [email protected]