Government welcomes revamped standards process

Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, has welcomed a revised business model for Standards Australia, which restores support for the development of standards in the public interest.

Standards Australia is the nation’s peak non-government standards organisation, responsible for developing contemporary, internationally aligned standards and related services.

Senator Carr said: “Stakeholders and government had been concerned about an earlier proposal that a ‘user-pays’ policy would apply to the development of all future standards.

“After extensive consultations, Standards Australia has developed a revised and improved approach which will allow the development of critical standards to be funded from within the organisation’s own resources, just as it has been in the past.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry Richard Marles said he was pleased that Standards Australia had worked hard to address the concerns of government and stakeholders, to maximise the benefits of standardisation to the community.

“Standards that meet agreed criteria, and that can’t be funded fully by stakeholders, will be considered for subsidy by Standards Australia.

“The result is a win for consumers, industry, Standards Australia and the government - with a new, more robust process that will balance the interests of all stakeholders,” Marles said.