This has been a very busy, exciting month not just for us at Standards Australia but for every one of our contributors.

We are pleased to have launched Connect, our new contributor platform which has been months, if not years in the making.

Connect will eventually replace The Hub, which has been our contributor platform for many years. It has been built with contributors, for contributors and we are incredibly proud to be able to start with this first stage release as part of our overall objective to make it easier for our contributors to work with us.

As with many technology projects, we had a hiccup along the way when the platform didn’t behave as we had expected when we moved from our test to live environment. This was far from ideal, particularly given we lost access to The Hub for a short time.

On the upside, the team pulled together and worked tirelessly until the issues were resolved and we were able to go live on a second attempt. Feedback so far has been great. Thank you all for your comments.

We look forward to continuing to build on this platform for you and with you over coming releases.

We have also had the opportunity this month to participate in an Industry Forum hosted by the Commonwealth and State and Territory Building Ministers. We were also invited to attend the Building Ministers Forum to discuss how we are looking to achieve better access to our standards for all users.

We are really pleased to be moving into these discussions with so much recognition of the importance of standards to the construction sector and a recognition that better access means much more than how content is made available. We are certain that by working together we will be able to achieve much more than walking these paths alone.

‍—Dr Bronwyn Evans, CEO

We are very excited to announce that our new, all-inclusive digital home, Connect, has arrived.

Standards Australia has been working hard to answer the calls from our contributors who have been asking for a better experience through our technology platforms.

This led us to Connect, our new one-stop-shop for all the information our contributors need. Together with our users, we’ve worked hard to create a better online experience for all committee members, nominating organisations and Standards Australia staff. See our Connect launch video.

Connect is the first stage of our new contributor platform that will ultimately replace The Hub, Livelink and other systems used by our contributors on the standards development side.

This is a huge leap forward, on a much longer journey, as we make it easier for you, as contributors, to work with us.

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Each year, Standards Australia takes time out to recognise outstanding contributions to our work as Australia’s national standards body.

Individual and committee efforts are recognised as well as service in Australia and internationally.

Nominations for the Standards Awards are managed through this link.

Nominations close on Friday 22 March.

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Global leaders in all things robotics are collaborating to further develop the standards guiding the ever-expanding use of robots. A working group of the international technical committee developing these International Standards, ISO/TC 299/WG 3, Industrial Safety, met in Melbourne this month to progress the guidance documents.

Find out more on our website.

This report outlines the discussion, outcomes and proposed next steps from the Dementia-Inclusive Communities Forum hosted by Standards Australia last December. It’s set up to guide further engagement, and to help inform stakeholders of the future standards development opportunities for Australia and for any international participation in ISO/TC 314, Aging Societies, and its work program around dementia-inclusive communities and aging workforces.

Download the report from our website (PDF).

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The evolution of the energy and electrical sector in Australia is being significantly boosted with major developments, particularly in the rollout of new technology to more traditional infrastructure.

Find out more on our website.

Should Australia participate in the international development of innovation management standards?

For many years, Australian stakeholders have been actively engaged in the development and adoption of international management system standards to support businesses in a number of key areas: quality, energy, occupational health and safety, and the environment, to name a few.

As Australia's innovation activities exponentially increase, would we benefit from a set of management guidelines specifically focussed on innovation? Does it make sense for Australia to participate in the international development of an innovation management system standard?

Standards Australia has received a proposal to participate on the international committee ISO/TC 279, Innovation Management.

We are seeking feedback from all interested parties on whether participation is in Australia’s best interest.

As part of our ongoing efforts to be easier to work with and more transparent, the Incubator is using this proposal to trial the concept of crowd-sourcing approval for project proposals online.

Visit the project profile page on Spigit to view the proposal and submit your feedback on Australia’s participation on ISO/TC 279.

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Standards Australia represents Australia on the two major international standards development bodies, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Our activities are reported on our International Updates page.

Highlights from January and February (PDF):

• Members welcome Global Review of Aid for Trade preparations
• Better building with new International Standards for BIM
• Who needs AI

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Access the latest standards development news in your industry sector via our Sectors page.

The public comment process provides an opportunity for stakeholders and members of the public to make valuable contributions. View draft standards currently open for comment.

State-owned VicForests has announced its successful three-year re-certification under the Responsible Wood standard.

An audit, conducted across the business in December 2018, recommended VicForests recertification highlighting its thorough workplace and contractor safety standards, contractor management and continued contribution to research.

All major commercial native timber harvesting enterprises across Australia are certified under this system including Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.

The Responsible Wood standard is endorsed by the international Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), the largest such system in the world which covers more than 300 million ha of forest, has 49 national members and equates to around two-thirds of the world's total certified forest area.