What a conflict of interest is
A conflict of interest occurs when a person’s private interests conflict with their official duties. This can affect the way they carry out their duties. A private interest can relate to family, friends, business or professional life.
A conflict of interest can be:
- actual – it currently exists
- potential – there could be one in the future
- perceived – it does not exist, but a reasonable person may believe or perceive it to exist.
Who conflict of interest applies to
Our procedures to manage conflicts of interest apply to:
- members of MSAC and our subcommittees
- working group participants
- advisers
- health technology assessment (HTA) groups and other contractors
- our secretariat and other departmental staff
- other interested parties.
Our procedures help to ensure our assessments and advice are impartial and fair.
When and how to declare conflicts of interest
Members
Members must complete the conflict of interest declaration form or an equivalent Health Products Portal form:
- when they apply
- when they are appointed
- each year
- before each meeting (after they have seen the agenda, but before any relevant documents are accessible)
- at any other time they become aware of a potential or actual conflict.
They must also verbally declare any other conflicts of interest at each meeting.
Non-members
Non-members we invite to meetings must:
- complete the conflict of interest declaration form before attending a meeting
- verbally declare any other conflicts of interest at the meeting.
HTA groups and other contractors
Contractors must comply with the same conflict of interest requirements as members. This is set out in their deed of standing offer. They must tell the MSAC secretariat in writing about any conflicts of interest:
- when responding to a request for quote
- at any time throughout the project if a conflict of interest arises.
Secretariat and other departmental staff
All public servants must comply with the conflict of interest requirements in the Code of Conduct.
Conflict of interest declaration form
Members will need to sign in to the Health Products Portal to complete the online declaration form.
Non-members will receive a copy of the declaration form from our secretariat.
How we manage conflicts of interest
Our procedures for conflicts of interest (including how we store and handle personal information) are in line with the Privacy Act 1988. Conflicts are managed by a Committee Management Group that supports MSAC and its sub-committees. This ensures consistent, fair, and transparent decision making about actual, apparent, and potential conflicts of interest.
We maintain a record of the:
- conflicts of interest reported to us
- actions we have taken to address conflicts of interest.
To manage conflicts of interest, we may:
- ask for more information about the conflict
- not allow the person to access documents or take part in discussions or vote on matters that relate to the conflict
- direct the person to end the conflict if they wish to proceed with MSAC-related work.
To find out more about how we manage conflicts of interest for members, see the HTA committees – conflicts of interest process guide.
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