When the anths come marching in

This essay provides a first-hand account of why it is important to have Indigenous representation on Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs), and more importantly why some research simply should not go ahead. Collectively we have 10 years experience serving on HRECs, extensive Indigenous Higher Education research, as well as our lived experience as Indigenous Australians. Despite such experience and expertise, we find ourselves too often in the firing lines of unhappy researchers whose breathtaking sense of entitlement underlines their claims to 'know' a particular community.