Meeting communiques

The Act requires the Minister for Medical Research to establish and maintain the Advisory Council, which will guide the application of investment income from the FHRI Fund. The Advisory Council is made up of eminent persons with experience in fields such as research, innovation, business, law, finance, corporate governance and the philanthropic, charitable and not-for-profit sectors. The Minister appoints the Advisory Council Chair for a 3-year term and members for a 2-year term and may reappoint a member to the Advisory Council. The members of the Advisory Council are described below.

• An expert in consumer and community health matters.
• A research expert and an innovation expert, with these positions intended to be filled from outside WA.
• Three members with experience in fields such as business, law, finance, corporate governance and the philanthropic, charitable and not-for-profit sectors.
• One of the members will be expert in regional health matters and one will be expert in Aboriginal health matters.
• The Minister for Health will appoint one of the above members as the Chair.
• There will be two non-voting State Government members, one of whom will be the Director General of the Department of Health, or nominee.

In order to provide additional links to national and international opportunities while also minimising perceived conflicts of interest, one of the two research and innovation experts will, on an alternating basis, not be based in WA. For example, if an innovation expert is based outside of WA, the next appointment would seek a member who is based in WA. The same would occur for the research expert. Biographies of Advisory Council members are available on the Advisory Council page.

Because of the high-level, strategic nature of the Advisory Council, Expert Committees will be formed as required to provide advice about contemporary issues and opportunities, to contribute specialist knowledge, or to assist with peer review processes to select funding recipients.