For over a century the world has celebrated the achievements of women on 8 March, or International Women’s Day.

However, the World Economic Forum tells us that we are still 217 years away from gender parity^. That is why the theme for International Women’s Day this year is to #PressForProgress.

To support this theme and recognise the accomplishments of women in Australia and around the world, my team at Standards Australia shares their pledge with you in this video.

At Standards Australia we are fortunate to have many inspiring women already involved in our work, from our technical committees to our very own staff.

Last year our most prestigious award, the W.R. Hebblewhite Medal, went to Dr Linzi Wilson-Wilde for her contributions to forensic science. We have seen a great increase in female participation in our Young Leaders Program. Roughly half of our senior leaders and board are women.

I encourage more women to get involved. By contributing to standards you are contributing to the safety and sustainability of Australian life.

To echo the words of ISO*, “women not only make a valuable contribution to the products, services and systems that drive our society, they also deserve to have an equal voice in their development.”

<sup>^ The Global Gender Gap Report 2017
* Advancing women in standardization on International Women’s Day</sup>

Have you checked out our new website? With a modern content management system in place, we hope you find it simpler, faster and better to navigate across all of your devices.

What’s changed?

• New modern look and feel
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• Compatible on multiple devices
• More accessible in alignment with WCAG specifications
• Improved search functionality

What do you think?
We welcome your feedback. Simply use the blue feedback button on the right-hand side of each page on the site.

The new International Standard ISO 45001 was recently published by ISO. ISO 45001 provides a framework for workplace safety, allowing organisations to manage this key risk as part of their business processes.  

The Australian committee is considering the compatibility of the standard within the Australian regulatory framework. Standards Australia will consult widely before undertaking any process to adopt ISO 45001 as an Australian Standard.

Learn more about ISO 45001 and what it means for Australia.

Tracey Gramlick has a background in engineering and over thirty years of expertise in various design, technical, production, education, materials and marketing roles prior to her current position as Executive Director and CEO of the Australian Window Association. She represents the industry through political advocacy for manufacturing, energy efficiency and compliance and sits on three industry aligned boards. She also participates in numerous National Construction Code and Standards Australia committees, and she joined the Standards Australia Board in November 2017.

Standards Australia: What has your involvement been in standards development?
Tracey Gramlick: I first became aware of standards whilst a manufacturing cadet working in the metals industry. I knew basically what they were but they really didn’t affect me in any way until I took up a role as technical manager. This included architectural systems and the NATA test rigs that validated our performance claims. I started attending standards technical committee meetings at that stage and underwent a steep learning curve that included all sectors of Australian technical infrastructure. This put me in good stead as I moved into industrial products such as ship building, road transport and aircrafts. Over the years this evolved into my current involvement as a member and counsellor, running a nominating organisation, chairing a technical committee, representing at ISO, contributing to the Young Leaders program and recently joining the Board of Directors.

SA: How can Standards Australia better #PressForProgress?
TG: This year’s International Women’s Day theme is quite thought-provoking and it’s something you have to sit back and think about. I think Standards Australia does fairly well in this space, but for me personally there are a few things that stand out:

• Have faith in yourself as an individual without allowing gender bias to creep into your thoughts and dreams. You don't have to be the smartest or the strongest to be a winner or be happy.
• Set a plan, but remember a plan can be changed. Having an open mind and being adaptable to change when new opportunities or left field offers come your way allows you to evolve, grow and thrive.
• The other side of the coin is ensuring enablers are in place; workplaces that actually practise their gender equality principles and access to finance and markets are important as well.

SA: As the newest member to the Board, what are the opportunities and challenges you see for Standards Australia in the next five years?
TG: I believe the development of robust Australian and International Standards is an imperative. They underpin product conformity and compliance. It is an interesting and challenging time for all industries with globalisation and the ACCC consideration of International Standards and multiple inquiries into nonconforming products—all areas that affect an association like Standards Australia directly and indirectly. An opportunity exists not just to ensure the standards we use as Australians are fit for their purpose but to deliver them in new, adaptable and cost-effective platforms in this current and emerging digital age.

As part of the Technical Governance Review of our standards development process, Cameron Ralph Khoury will be presenting their report on our technical governance at open forums in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in April 2018.

Standards Australia will also present and consult on its draft implementation plan, which will be released ahead of the forums.

To register, or find out more, see the links below.
Sydney, 17 April: Technical Governance Review
Canberra, 18 April: Technical Governance Review
Melbourne, 19 April: Technical Governance Review

If you can't attend in person, you can join the online webinar of the Sydney event.

At the conclusion of the Technical Governance Review sessions, Standards Australia’s Innovation Incubator will be conducting a ‘Hack the Process’ workshop, looking at ways we can be innovative in standards development.

To register, or find out more, see the links below.

‍Sydney, 17 April: Incubator Workshop‍

‍Canberra, 18 April: Incubator Workshop

‍‍Melbourne, 19 April: Incubator Workshop

Australia has been successful in securing international support for the establishment of a new ISO project committee on water efficiency.

The new Australian-led committee will facilitate the development of a new International Standard on Water Efficiency Labelling, using as a base the Australian Standard AS/NZS 6400, Water efficient products – Rating and labelling.

Read more in our news item.

As reported in the AFR, this month Standards Australia hosted a delegation of Chinese blockchain entrepreneurs spanning big names in the Chinese market. The delegation heard firsthand about the progress of ISO/TC 307 and also attended the APAC Blockchain Conference in Melbourne. Beyond the work of ISO TC 307 the visit also highlighted the growing importance of standards in the financial services arena, in light of the expected open banking reforms.

The next step for blockchain standardisation is the third meeting of ISO/TC 307 in London in May 2018, which is due to progress work on smart contracts and other key topics. Following this, ISO/TC 307 will meet again in October in Russia.

As part of our commitment to a more efficient standards development process, we have worked with our contributors to speed up the average duration for all projects. In comparison to published projects in 2016–17, the average delivery of complex projects has been reduced significantly. Our contributors’ time is being used more effectively, with greater certainty about the time commitment and level of engagement required from them.

We will continue to evolve standards development – to be as efficient as possible, while maintaining a technical level of excellence. A key element is the new workshop approach to our kick-off meetings, which involves discussing relevant information upfront, producing a clear forward plan, confirming commitment to action and delivering within a strict project schedule.

As always, the ultimate success of Standards Australia depends upon the support and dedication of our stakeholders, such as yourself.

Thirty committee members recently attended the ‘How to write an Australian Standard’ workshop delivered in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Curious about what other Committee Members have said?

“I now have a better understanding of the terminology and phrasing of words to be used.” – Brisbane

“Being a new committee member it was very beneficial.” – Sydney

Interested?
If you are a committee member, you can start your online learning in the Academy. Get started on the learning program online, then sign up for the next round of 2018 workshops in a capital city near you. Have your Hub log in details ready.

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 February/March (PDF):

• A New Work Item Proposal – Guidelines on Integrating a Business Excellence Framework with ISO management system standards
• Launch of news portal to raise awareness of trade development in least-developed countries
• ISO/IEC 27000 – key International Standard for information security revised
• Artificial Intelligence is listening to you

Read about the latest standards development news in your industry sector on our Sector Updates 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.