The ability of companies and governments to mitigate risk will be streamlined, following the announcement today that the key two national accreditation bodies for testing and certification will sign a formal agreement to work in closer cooperation in the national interest for Australia and New Zealand.

The National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) and the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) made the announcement today to mark International Accreditation Day.

Both organisations play pivotal roles in underpinning the technical infrastructure that improves Australia’s economic efficiency and trade.

In a statement released today, the heads of the two organisations said they hoped their agreement would eventually grow to include the New Zealand technical accreditation body, IANZ.

NATA's Chief Executive Alan Patterson, and JAS-ANZ CEO Dr James Galloway, made the joint announcement on International Accreditation Day, which is intended to highlight the importance of the accuracy and reliability of testing, inspection and certification services worldwide.

"This agreement will help increase recognition that accreditation through our two organisations is an important part of any government's or company's mitigation of risk" Mr Patterson said.

"Both organisations have excellent reputations for working collaboratively with their clients to achieve optimal results. We believe that once an agreement is in place, it will open the door to some exciting synergies.

"We hope this announcement will highlight to regulators the fact we provide these services, and that they are essential to any legislation, regulatory framework or industry goal which aims to mitigate risk."

"Both our organisations are finding that while our work is known and appreciated at the highest levels of government, all too often legislation and regulations are being promulgated without the appropriate risk mitigation checks that both organisations provide. The Memorandum of Understanding that we are working towards will go a long way to redress that problem," Dr Galloway added.

JAS-ANZ is the government-appointed accreditation body for Australia and New Zealand responsible for providing accreditation of conformity assessment bodies (CABs) in the fields of certification and inspection.

NATA is the authority in Australia which provides independent assurance of technical competence through a proven network of best-practice industry experts for customers who require confidence in the delivery of their products and services.

The theme of International Accreditation Day this year is 'competence'. According to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, and the International Accreditation Forum, accreditation provides an independent and authoritative attestation of the competence, impartiality and integrity of conformity assessment bodies. Accreditation that is internationally accepted and meets international standards increases confidence in the accuracy and reliability of testing, inspection and certification.

Standards and accreditation play an increasingly important role in improving the operations of the marketplace and promoting growth and trade. Many factors have contributed to this such as mass production, a growing demand for interchangeable parts, globalisation, manufacturers' concerns about litigation, demand for cheaper and cheaper goods, public demand for product safety and concerns about technical compatibility between products.

In such a complex and highly competitive market, a level of confidence is required when procuring products or services. Such reassurance is underpinned by accreditation. Specifiers, like government regulators, have come to appreciate the importance of credible accreditation programs that are based on internationally-recognized standards. With restricted budgets, many regulators can no longer do it all themselves and increasingly, they must rely on third-party organisations to support their regulatory efforts. When they do so, they need a fair and meaningful basis for identifying qualified and competent providers. Accreditation provides this declaration of competence.

For more information please contact Paul O'Neill, tel +61 (0)2 6232 2011 or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .