Applications and reports

All new animal research/teaching applications must now be created and submitted using new online system.

To start a new application, please head to Ethics Monitor within RISE.  Please note the following:

• Refer to meeting dates for details on submission timelines.
• If your research is to be conducted in an Australian state or territory outside Queensland, please contact the Ethics Office to confirm UniSQ has a current registration in that state or territory.
• Refer to the Animal Ethics Training Guide for further information on how to use the form, or visit the RISE Guidance: Ethics Monitor SharePoint site.

Important information

Please note, the need to obtain AEC approval is separate from the need to obtain other approvals and comply with other requirements such as:

• government/state issued permits (e.g., Wildlife Research Permits (DETSI), and permits issued under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 for work in protected estates like national parks and state forests;
• Biosafety approval for the collection, use, storage and shipping of biological materials and/or regulated substances (see Biosafety Central and a biosecurity instrument permit under the Biosecurity Act 2014);
• Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 and supplemental, Animal Care and Protection Amendment Act 2022; and
• Animal Care and Protection Regulation 2023

AEC approval is usually required before government/state issue permits. For government issued permits, State legislation and requirements apply.

All research activities must accord with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2018) and the UniSQ Research Code of Conduct Policy.

Additional information

• Do I need Animal Ethics approval? (PDF)
• UniSQ Animal Wellbeing and Ethics Policy

If you need to make changes or request an extension to your approved application, the changes must be reviewed and approved by the UniSQ Animal Ethics Committee before implementation. 

How to complete and submit an amendment 

We are currently implementing a new online Ethics system, and this is a two staged process. Please refer to the information below to guide how to submit an amendment:

The Ethics Office will determine the appropriate review pathway in conjunction with the UniSQ AEC Amendment Classification Guide (PDF). 

It is a standard condition of Animal Ethics Committee approval that a milestone report is submitted annually on 31 December and upon completion of the project.

It is a requirement that the UniSQ Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) is informed of all research being undertaken by the University of Southern Queensland researchers (staff and students).

If a research project has been approved by another AEC and involves UniSQ researchers, then a submission needs to be made to the UniSQ AEC for noting. 

How to submit a Prior Approval

Head to Ethics Monitor and select ‘start new ethics application’. Ensure you select ‘Yes’ to the following question: ‘Do you have approval from another Ethics Committee to conduct this project?’ in the 'Overview' tab.

Refer to the Animal Ethics Training Guide for further information on how to use the form, or visit the Ethics Monitor SharePoint site.

Note: The following supporting documents need to be uploaded to your submission: 

• AEC approval letter or notification
• AEC application 
• Standard Operating Procedures (if required)
• Any additional supporting documents 

To request an exemption, please head to Ethics Monitor and select ‘start new ethics application’. When completing the ‘Ethical considerations' tab, ensure to leave the first two options deselected, then select all that apply from the remaining options.

Refer to the Animal Ethics Training Guide for further information on how to use the form, or visit the Ethics Monitor SharePoint site.

When can I request an exemption?

You may request an exemption if your activity is described by one or more of the following:  

• The activity only involves the use of animals that are not legally defined as an animal in the state or territory in which the work will be undertaken, e.g. insects.
• The activity does not involve the USE of an animal AND the activity does not involve the abnormal disruption of habitat e.g. walking, remaining or driving in places to which people typically have that type of access, such as public or national parks, tracks, roadsides and farmland. Examples of where an activity does not involve the USE of an animal are below: 
  • Observing visually, e.g. bird watching and whale watching from a public beach using the naked eye or binoculars. This does not include spotlighting. 
  • Taking photographs or recordings (sound or digital). This does not include baited camera traps.
  • Use of unbaited camera traps. 
  • Roost exit count survey for bats. 
  • Use of passive acoustic monitoring equipment (without call playback).
  • Collection of animal scats or shed feathers (where collection does not involve handling an animal).
  • Recording animal tracks using shallow sand pans.
• The activity only uses organs or other material from animals killed as part of routine commercial food and fibre production (e.g. sourced from butchers, fish shops or abattoirs).
• The activity only uses cadavers or samples from animals euthanised at veterinary clinics or shelters from other veterinary or management reasons.
• The activity only uses of samples from animals euthanised as part of a routine, unmodified pest animal control program.
• The activity only uses of cadavers or samples from animals found dead, e.g. roadkill.
• The activity only uses of tissue samples stored in laboratories from animals whose care and euthanasia has already been approved and monitored as part of an earlier AEC approved activity. 
• The animal activity is conducted for a non-scientific purposes (e.g. wildlife displays at schools or livestock displays at agricultural shows, animal display at a birthday party, guide dogs being used to raise funds, fish tagging, bird banding and diagnosis by a veterinarian within routine veterinary practice, or biosecurity inspectors undertaking a disease response).

The Ethics Office will notify you whether your proposed work is eligible for an exemption. If your work is deemed to be ineligible for an exemption the Ethics Office will provide you with advice on the application process. 

If an adverse or unexpected event occurs during or as a result of the research (or teaching) a UniSQ AEC unexpected adverse event report must be submitted to the Ethics Office.

How to submit an adverse event report

We are currently implementing a new online Ethics system, and this is a two staged process. Please refer to the information below to guide how to submit an unexpected adverse event report:

What is an unexpected and/or adverse event?

• An unexpected and/or adverse event is any event that occurs that may have a negative impact on the wellbeing of animals and was not expected in the approved project. 

An unexpected and/or adverse event may result from different causes, including but not limited to:

• death of an animal, or group of animals that was not expected 
• adverse effects following a procedure or treatment that were not expected
• adverse effects in a larger number of animals than predicted during the planning of the project or activity, based on the number of animals actually used, not the number approved for the study
• a greater level of pain or distress than was predicted during the planning of the project or activity
• power failures, inclement weather, emergency situations or other factors external to the project or activity that have a negative impact on the welfare of the animals.  

All ethics applications must undergo local authoriser review and endorsement before they are submitted to the ethics office for ethics review. This is an automated workflow process actioned by the system upon submission of the application. See detailed steps further below.

Local Authorisers will have a general look at the application, and pay specific attention to the following in their review:

• Does the project align with the research focus of the School (or Centre) and the research team?
• Has the application undergone a peer review?
• Are there any risks specific to the School, students or courses? If yes, are these being managed appropriately?
• Are there appropriate resources for the project?

Local authorises are referred to the following guidance document when undertaking their reviews: Local Authoriser guidance - human or animal ethics.pdf

Who are the local authorisers?

A local authoriser is the person, determined by the local area, as being responsible for reviewing and either endorsing or pushing back ethics applications before they reach the ethics office for ethics review. This person will usually be the Head of School/Department/Centre or the Associate Head of Research. 

How is an application sent to a local authoriser?

1. Upon submission, the application is automatically forwarded to the local authoriser associated with the ‘host department’ identified by the applicant within 'Overview' page of the application. The local authoriser will receive an email notification to alert them that an application is awaiting their review and endorsement. Note: It is important that the response provided to the 'Host department' question is correct to ensure the application if forwarded to the correct local authoriser.
   
   
2. The local authoriser reviews the application using the guidance document above and either sends the application back to the project team or submits it through to the ethics office to confirm endorsement.

Please note: An application is not officially submitted to the ethics office until it has been endorsed by the local authoriser. It is the applicant’s responsibility to allow sufficient time for the endorsement process and to monitor the status of their application during this process.