Research Advisory Committees (RACs) play a vital role in ensuring FRDC investment delivers real impact.

There are eight RACs – one representing each State, the Commonwealth, and the Northern Territory – providing advice on priorities and investment needs relevant to the public good and for sectors not covered under our Industry Partnership Agreements.

The RACs will help us deliver the FRDC R&D Plan 2020-2025 by:

• Taking the lead in identifying, synthesising and aggregating stakeholder priorities.
• Considering avenues for delivery of R&D outputs and identifying suitable extension activities.
• Assisting in monitoring FRDC-invested activities and aiding in the delivery of outputs.
• Helping to identify potential external technical reviewers of applications, including RAC members with suitable expertise and no conflicts of interest.

Key changes to the RAC process:

• Investment: All RACs will now have competitive approaches to investment with no cap of budget allocations to ensure investment flows to priority areas within and between jurisdictions (noting that FRDC is legislatively required to return the funding provided by the jurisdiction back to the jurisdiction).
• Planning: Existing R&D plans will be used where possible, removing the requirement for a separate RAC R&D Plan.
• Conflict of interest: To address the issue of conflict of interest and focus on prioritisation and delivery to end users, the requirement for applications to be assessed by the RAC has been removed. Members may now nominate, or be identified, as an external reviewer of applications (where appropriate).
• Priorities: New processes for obtaining RD&E priorities will be trialled to ensure stakeholder needs are identified.

RAC membership

RAC membership incorporates people with broad fishing, aquaculture and community (including Indigenous) expertise to provide situational awareness and access to their networks.

Committee membership is for a two‐year term and committee members are paid a sitting fee for participation at RAC meetings (unless they are a government employee without a separate ABN).

RACs convene at least twice a year, with increasing numbers of RAC meetings hosted online via Microsoft Teams. The FRDC coordinates and provides management support for RACs.

RAC Chairs

Independent Chairs lead RAC meetings. The FRDC appoints a small number of common Chairs who preside over two to three RACs each. Chairs have a three-year tenure and are paid a sitting fee.

A selection panel comprising the relevant Director of Fisheries and the FRDC selects each RAC Chair and member.

For an overview of current RAC members and previous supported research: