Our department’s response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
See Australia.gov.au for whole of Australian Government COVID-19 advice.
- Policies and initiatives
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- Applying to export rough diamonds
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- Regulating the Ranger Uranium Mine
- Taxes and royalties on minerals and petroleum
Measurement
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Business support
- Funding and incentives
Emissions reduction
Industry innovation and science
- Australian Square Kilometre Array Fellowships Programme
- Business Research and Innovation Initiative
- Business-research collaboration
- Collaborating with Asia-Pacific on science, research and innovation
- Collaborating with China on science and research
- Collaborating with India on science and research
- Cooperative research centres
- Enabling international space investment
- Industry 4.0
- Inspiring Australia: Science engagement in Australia
- International research collaboration
- Moon to Mars: opportunities for Australian businesses
- Prime Minister's Prizes for Science
- Research and Development Tax Incentive
- Supporting advanced manufacturing
- Supporting business and innovation
- Supporting space infrastructure growth
- Transitioning Australia’s automotive manufacturing industry
- Venture capital
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- Anti-Dumping Commission
- Anti-Dumping Review Panel
- Australian Radioactive Waste Agency
- Australian SKA Office
- Australian Space Agency
- Critical Minerals Facilitation Office
- National Measurement Institute
- Office of Innovation and Science Australia
- Office of Northern Australia
- Office of the Chief Economist
- Office of the Chief Scientist
Who we work with
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- Annual report
- Assurance and Audit Committee
- Budget statements
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- Continuing Order of the Senate
- Corporate plan
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- Grants reporting
- Information Publication Scheme
- Our contracts
- Privacy impact assessments
- Public interest disclosure
- Senate Order 15: portfolio appointments and vacancies
Our online presence
Contact
- Publications
- News
- Policies and initiatives
Emissions reduction
Industry innovation and science
- Artificial intelligence
- Australian Radioactive Waste Agency
- Australian Space Agency
- Boosting innovation and science
- Co-hosting the Square Kilometre Array
- Increasing international collaboration
- Industry growth centres
- Industry Innovation and Science Australia
- National Measurement Institute
- Optical astronomy in Australia
- Participating in the digital economy
- Promoting innovation precincts
- Science in our department
- Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
Energy
Resources
Northern Australia
Trade
Business support
Measurement services
Government to government services
- Regulations and standards
Emissions reduction
Energy
Resources
- Applying to export rough diamonds
- Applying to export uranium and controlled ores
- Offshore mineral exploration and mining
- Offshore oil and gas exploration and development
- Offshore petroleum exploration acreage release process
- Regulating offshore oil and gas in Australian Commonwealth waters
- Regulating the Ranger Uranium Mine
- Taxes and royalties on minerals and petroleum
Measurement
Trade
Space industry
Building industry
Business support
- Funding and incentives
Emissions reduction
Industry innovation and science
- Australian Square Kilometre Array Fellowships Programme
- Business Research and Innovation Initiative
- Business-research collaboration
- Collaborating with Asia-Pacific on science, research and innovation
- Collaborating with China on science and research
- Collaborating with India on science and research
- Cooperative research centres
- Enabling international space investment
- Industry 4.0
- Inspiring Australia: Science engagement in Australia
- International research collaboration
- Moon to Mars: opportunities for Australian businesses
- Prime Minister's Prizes for Science
- Research and Development Tax Incentive
- Supporting advanced manufacturing
- Supporting business and innovation
- Supporting space infrastructure growth
- Transitioning Australia’s automotive manufacturing industry
- Venture capital
Resources
- About us
COVID-19
Jobs
Who we are
- Our Ministers
- Our Executive team
- Organisation chart
- Our portfolio agencies
- Overseas engagement
- Anti-Dumping Commission
- Anti-Dumping Review Panel
- Australian Radioactive Waste Agency
- Australian SKA Office
- Australian Space Agency
- Critical Minerals Facilitation Office
- National Measurement Institute
- Office of Innovation and Science Australia
- Office of Northern Australia
- Office of the Chief Economist
- Office of the Chief Scientist
Who we work with
Reporting and accountability
- Annual report
- Assurance and Audit Committee
- Budget statements
- Campaign Certification Statements
- Continuing Order of the Senate
- Corporate plan
- Deregulation agenda
- Freedom of information
- Gifts and benefits register
- Grants reporting
- Information Publication Scheme
- Our contracts
- Privacy impact assessments
- Public interest disclosure
- Senate Order 15: portfolio appointments and vacancies
Our online presence
Contact
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- Australia’s standards and conformance infrastructure
On this page
Australia’s standards and conformance infrastructure
Australia’s standards and conformance infrastructure provides businesses and consumers with confidence in the goods and services they are developing or using. This infrastructure is based on trade measurement, standards and accrediting bodies involved with certification and inspection.
We manage the Australian Government’s relationship with these bodies:
- the National Measurement Institute (NMI), a division of our department responsible for biological, chemical, legal, physical and trade measurement
- Standards Australia, an independent, not-for-profit national standards development body
- the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), an independent, not-for-profit national accreditor of laboratories and testing facilities
- the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ), a bi-national government accreditor of conformity assessment bodies who inspect organisations, products and people
These bodies also represent Australia at the International Organization for Standardization, the International Accreditation Forum and other international forums.
Australia’s Standards and Conformance Infrastructure: An Essential Foundation [609KB PDF] [62KB DOCX] explains the individual and combined contributions of these bodies. It places the Australian infrastructure in the regional and international framework.
Using international standards in policy and regulation
The government has committed to use trusted international standards first, where appropriate. This aligns with Australia’s obligations under the World Trade Organization’s Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement.
The Best Practice Guide to Using Standards and Risk Assessments in Policy and Regulation [504KB PDF] [52KB DOCX] helps policy officers assess which standards or risk assessments to use to support their policy and programs.
Aligning with international standards:
- improves Australian access to overseas markets
- reduces costs and delays for businesses
- increases the supply of reliable products into the Australian market
Memoranda of Understandings
The government has had Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in place with Standards Australia and NATA since 1988. The MoUs frame the government's policy relationship with the organisations:
- MoU with Standards Australia, signed 13 November 2018
- MoU with National Association of Testing Authorities, signed 29 August 2018
Read more
- See standards and conformance summary information for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) products and hand sanitisers
- Read how uniform standards, regulation and conformity assessment procedures reduce barriers for domestic and international trade
Contact us
Last updated: 8 December 2020
Content ID: 46734