Australian Standards come of age
Attendees from all over the country and from all sectors of the industry listened and participated in discussions at the Plumbing Supply Forum (PSF) about Standards, WELS, building and construction, the economy, consumer perspectives, codes and sustainability. Many issues were cleared up and many gained even more traction as the speakers gave insight into matters that greatly affect the industry as a whole.
The first speaker of the day was the general manager of Standards Australia, Adrian O’Connell, who was introduced by Reliance Worldwide CEO, Ben Reid. Adrian spoke about the development and transformation of Standards and gave an overview about where Standards Australia sits in relation to plumbing product and overall product certification.
Adrian explained that Standards are voluntary unless commissioned by the relevant government bodies. Prior to 2003 Standards Australia was part of a larger Standards business, which published and ran certifications and provided education services. Having been aligned with SAI Global for so long, the separation between these two companies meant a rethink and a new corpus to deliver maximum value of contribution to net benefit.
“As the economy has grown so has demand for Standards,” says Adrian.
“There are 600 committees developing projects, but only 80 people who can deliver. Last year there were 1,400 active projects, but the system wasn’t sustainable and stakeholders were becoming frustrated. The Board decided to change and saw that we needed two things: to define our role as a new Standards Australia and align our philosophy with our objectives.
To do this Standards Australia recognised four key roles for the company: Standards development, information and coordination, design assessment and promotion.
The idea was to change the way industry and community is engaged; central to this is the design of a series of packages that enables stakeholders to choose a package to suit themselves, and give them greater flexibility around timeframes.
However, to move forward stakeholders must now demonstrate that there is a positive net benefit to help ensure resources are allocated to benefit the industry.
Adrian believes the new business model encourages choice. To make it work Standards Australia has invested heavily in re-engineering development processes and performance as well as technology, government disciplines, customer service and continuous development.
Possibly the most controversial point that Adrian raised was that Standards Australia is now no longer involved with Watermark, which has been handed over to the relevant government body. This means significant change in the Watermark scheme where all involved will have to be on their toes to ensure Watermark’s integrity remains intact and transitions properly.
There is a great deal of change occurring at Standards Australia at this time. After coming under some criticism from industry groups, Standards Australia is now stepping up to the plate to ensure all Standards meet community and industry expectations.