Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when you have a private or personal interest or other external commitment, which may appear to an independent observer to be sufficient to influence and therefore compromise the validity of the research process by influencing impartial judgement. Disclosure of any actual or potential conflict of interest is essential for the responsible conduct of research.

The University’s policy on close personal relationships sets out the University’s position on staff-student relationships and staff-staff relationships in regard to potential conflict of interest. A close personal relationship is defined as ‘one which gives rise to a real or potential conflict of interest and includes relatives and financial relationships’.

If you are in a close personal relationship with a staff member, he or she is precluded from participating in any of the following with respect to you:

• selection for entry to the University
• selection for any undergraduate or postgraduate program offered by the University
• assessment procedures
• selection for any scholarship or prize
• honours or postgraduate supervision.

Close personal relationships must be disclosed to the Head of School or, if the Head of School is involved, to the Dean of the Faculty.