The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) launched marra ngarrgoo, marra goorri: The Victorian Aboriginal Health, Medical and Wellbeing Research Accord in October 2023. The Accord aims to improve the way research is conducted in Victoria, to ensure that research that impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is ethical and self-determined. To reach this goal, we need you.

We need researchers and research organisations to come to the table, to genuinely reflect on their current practice, to take responsibility for the role they play, and start the journey of learning and un-learning so we can move forward together.

In this presentation, the VACCHO team will explain the details of the Accord and introduce the Accord Reflective Process, a tool for research organisations and researchers to begin meaningfully reflecting on the practices and policies that guide research. The team will detail the next steps and how this reflection is an important step of many towards ethical and self-determined research.