To the Chief Executive Officer, National Health and Medical Research Council,

We write to call for an immediate and comprehensive review and update of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes. Current standards no longer reflect community expectations, scientific progress, or the moral responsibility owed to sentient beings subjected to research in Australia.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of animals are used in laboratories under this code. Many experience invasive procedures, prolonged confinement, psychological distress, or repeated interventions that result in avoidable suffering. While the code is intended to minimise harm, its reliance on self-regulation and internal ethics committees has created serious gaps in accountability, transparency, and enforcement.

We urge the NHMRC to strengthen the code through clear, binding enforcement mechanisms. Ethical standards must not be aspirational guidelines alone. They must be supported by mandatory compliance requirements, independent oversight, and meaningful penalties for breaches. Without these measures, protections for animals remain inconsistent and ineffective.

Robust monitoring provisions are equally essential. This includes routine, unannounced inspections of research facilities by independent authorities, public reporting of animal use and welfare outcomes, and national consistency in data collection. Transparency is a prerequisite for trust. The public has a right to know how animals are used in research conducted under publicly endorsed frameworks.

We also call for explicit prohibitions on practices that cause unnecessary or prolonged suffering, particularly where non‑animal alternatives exist. Advances in human‑based research methods, computer modelling, and in‑vitro technologies make it possible to replace or significantly reduce animal use in many areas. The code must reflect this reality by prioritising replacement, reduction, and refinement in practice, not just in principle.

At the heart of this issue is compassion. Animals used in research are living, feeling beings. A humane society does not accept suffering as routine or invisible. Ethical science and humane treatment are not opposing goals; they are inseparable. Upholding humanity in research strengthens both scientific integrity and public confidence.

By updating the code with enforceable standards, independent monitoring, and firm limits on harmful practices, the NHMRC can lead Australia toward a more ethical and responsible research system. These actions will protect animals, support better science, and help ensure a future grounded in compassion, accountability, and respect for life.

Sincerely,