National Health and Medical Research Council statement on electronic cigarettes: 2022 update.

Introduction: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use in Australia has rapidly increased since the 2017 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) statement on e-cigarettes. The type of products available and the demographic characteristics of people using these products have changed. New evidence has been published and there is growing concern among public health professionals about the increased use, particularly among young people who do not currently smoke combustible cigarettes.

Disclosing genetic information to at-risk relatives: new Australian privacy principles, but uniformity still elusive.

There is growing understanding of the need for genetic information to be shared with genetic relatives in some circumstances. Since 2006, s 95AA of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth) has permitted the disclosure of genetic information to genetic relatives without the patient's consent, provided that the health practitioner reasonably believes that disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to the life, health or safety of the genetic relatives. Enabling guidelines were introduced in 2009.

To share or not to share is the question.

Data sharing is increasingly becoming an essential component of clinical practice and biomedical research. The debate has shifted from whether or not to exchange data to how best to achieve optimal sharing. This raises new ethical and legal challenges, particularly with regard to consent and privacy.

Life insurance and genetic test results: a mutation carrier's fight to achieve full cover.

Currently, there is debate about life insurance companies' use of genetic information for assessing applicants. In his early 20s, James (pseudonym) was denied full life insurance cover because he revealed that he had discussed genetic testing with a genetic counsellor. He was later tested and found to carry a mutation in the MSH6 gene; after disclosing this, he was denied cover for cancer by two other life insurance companies.

Tackling legal challenges posed by population biobanks: reconceptualising consent requirements.

This paper examines, from an Australian and international perspective, the phenomenon of population 'biobanks' (research platforms comprising collections of human genetic samples or 'biospecimens' and relevant personal information) and the legal challenges that this development presents. In particular, the paper focuses on the legal concept of consent and the tensions on the traditional understanding of consent that large-scale, long-term population biobanks exert. The aim of the paper is to review the operation of consent principles as they apply to population biobanks and to propose a way forward for how the consent concept can be reconceptualised to meet their demands.

Predicting intention to biobank: a national survey.

Background: The success of human population biobanks are dependent on the publics' willingness to participate. This research aimed to determine those factors important in determining the public's intention to donate a biological sample to a publicly funded biobank, and allow that sample to be linked with medical records.

Methods: A national sample of 1000 Australians was surveyed via telephonic interviews.

Disclosure of genetic information to at-risk relatives: recent amendments to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth).

The federal Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth) has recently been amended to permit the disclosure of genetic information to an at-risk relative when there is a serious (although not necessarily imminent) threat to that person's life, health, or safety. This represents a significant exception to the statutory obligations to maintain the privacy of a patient's health information. However, its scope of operation is limited in that it applies only to doctors and other health professionals working in the private sector, and does not cover those working in State public hospitals or for Commonwealth Government agencies.

Investigating genetic discrimination in Australia: opportunities and challenges in the early stages.

Genetic discrimination, defined as the differential treatment of individuals or their relatives on the basis of actual or presumed genetic differences, is an emerging issue of interest in academic, clinical, social and legal contexts. While its potential significance has been discussed widely, verified empirical data are scarce. Genetic discrimination is a complex phenomenon to describe and investigate, as evidenced by the recent Australian Law Reform Commission inquiry in Australia.

Ethical and legal issues and the "new genetics".

Although uniquely personal, the information from gene analyses impacts on parents, siblings, children and even entire ethnic groups. Doctors need to carefully balance the right of a patient to privacy against the wider family and society interests, consistent with ethical standards and their legal obligations. Doctors also need to be in a position to advise their patients of potential risks that may result from obtaining predictive genetic information, such as discrimination by third parties.

Australian empirical study into genetic discrimination.

This paper outlines a major empirical study that is being undertaken by an interdisciplinary team into genetic discrimination in Australia. The 3-year study will examine the nature and extent of this newly emerging phenomenon across the perspectives of consumers, third parties, and the legal system and will analyze its social and legal dimensions. Although the project is confined to Australia, it is expected that the outcomes will have significance for the wider research community as this is the most substantial study of its kind to be undertaken to date into genetic discrimination.

Major study commencing into genetic discrimination in Australia.

This article describes a nationwide empirical study that will be undertaken during the next three years into the newly emerging phenomenon of genetic discrimination. In particular, the study aims to investigate the nature and extent of genetic discrimination in Australia across three key perspectives: consumers, third parties and the legal system. Further, the study aims to examine the social and legal implications of genetic discrimination, with a view to making recommendations for use in the Australian legal and policy context.