The firm Sydney IVF has access to 7,200 human eggs for its research after a license was granted by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

As Reuters reports: “Scientists in other countries have made stem cells they believe are similar to embryonic cells using a variety of techniques, but none have been able to extract embryonic stem cells from cloned human embryos.

“An Australian ban on the research, known as therapeutic cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer, was lifted in December 2006 after a rare conscience vote in the national parliament.”

In New Zealand

A 2007 report from the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology on stem cell research in the New Zealand context.

A 2006 report from the Bioethics Council on attitudes to embryonic stem cell research in New Zealand

Media round-up:

Reuters: Australia issues first license to clone human embryos

Brisbane Times: Scientists attempt stem cell breakthrough