Standard Setting and Laboratory Accreditation

Contents

Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Foreword, Terms of reference, Contents, Abbreviations, Key points, Overview, Recommendations

1 About this study
1.1 The Commission’s approach
1.2 The standards and conformance infrastructure
1.3 Guide to the report

2 Overarching issues
2.1 Why have standards and laboratory accreditation?
2.2 Policy issues
2.3 Summing up

STANDARD SETTING

3 The standards development infrastructure
3.1 Structure of the standards system
3.2 Standards Australia
3.3 Other bodies developing standards
3.4 International context
3.5 Conclusion

4 Standards Australia and the Australian Government
4.1 Governments’ relationship with Standards Australia
4.2 MoU and Deed of Agreement
4.3 Other MoUs and agreements
4.4 Conclusion

5 Overall assessment and status of Standards Australia
5.1 Overall assessment
5.2 Peak body status
5.3 Broadening the standards writing base
5.4 Standards Australia's relationship with SAI Global

6 Assessment: international
6.1 International collaboration
6.2 International alignment of standards

7 Assessment: the standards produced and access
7.1 Determining the need for standards and setting priorities
7.2 Regulatory standards
7.3 Access to and cost of standards
7.4 Compliance and conformity issues

8 Assessment: governance and processes
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Transparency and consensus
8.3 Technical expertise
8.4 Efficiency of project management and timeliness
8.5 Review processes
8.6 Appeals and complaints handling mechanism

9 The future relationship between the Australian Government and Standards Australia
9.1 Funding issues
9.2 How should the MoU be changed?

LABORATORY ACCREDITATION

10 Laboratory accreditation infrastructure
10.1 Laboratory accreditation in the conformance infrastructure
10.2 The National Association of Testing Authorities
10.3 Other bodies involved in laboratory accreditation
10.4 International context
10.5 Related areas
10.6 Conclusion

11 NATA and the Australian Government
11.1 Governments’ relationship with NATA
11.2 MoU and the Deed of Agreement
11.3 Other MoUs and agreements
11.4 Conclusion

12 Assessment of laboratory accreditation arrangements
12.1 International aspects
12.2 Laboratory accreditation services
12.3 Other issues
12.4 Overall assessment

13 The future Australian Government relationship with NATA
13.1 Recognition of NATA
13.2 Funding
13.3 Memorandum of Understanding

A Submissions and meetings

B MoU with Standards Australia

C MoU with NATA

D Membership of Standards Australia and Sector Boards

E State and Territory regulation referring to NATA

F List of private sector, Commonwealth and intergovernmental writers of standards, codes and guides

References