Managing Conflicts of Interest – PBAC and sub-committees

Page last updated: 1 June 2017

The National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Regulations 2017 sets out arrangements for the disclosure and management of conflicts of interest that members of the PBAC may have that could conflict with their duties as members of the committee. These arrangements are also applied to the sub-committees of the PBAC.

Members of the PBAC and its sub-committees make an annual declaration of all direct and indirect pecuniary interests that could conflict with their duties as a committee member. Members also make a declaration of potential conflicts of interest that is specific to the agenda of each meeting of the committee or sub-committee.

Any member who has a conflict interest in relation to a matter for consideration by the committee is precluded from any deliberation or decision on that matter, unless the Chair otherwise determines that the member can participate. The Chair must disclose any conflicts of interest relating to matters before the committee to the other members of the committee, who must elect a member to act in the place of the Chair for the duration of the committee’s consideration of those matters (unless there is a Deputy Chair who can preside).

Conflict of interest documents are managed under departmental procedures consistent with the Privacy Act 1988, and storage and handling of this personal information is protected.

Additional information is available in section 3.2 of the PBAC Procedures Guidance.