Standards Australia

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Standards Australia Limited
Type
Founded 1922
Headquarters Sydney, Australia
Website http://www.standards.org.au/

Standards Australia was established in 1922 and is recognised through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Commonwealth Government as the peak non-government standards development body in Australia. It is a company limited by guarantee, with 72 members representing groups interested in the development and application of standards and related products and services. Through its Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian Government, it is Australia's member of the two major international standardizing organizations, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (the IEC).[1]

Standards Australia also sells consultancy services to business, regarding standards compliance issues. Since 1991, Standards Australia has run the annual Australian International Design Awards.[2]

In 2003 Standards Australia disposed of its principal commercial interests in Publishing and Assurance Services when it floated its subsiary company SAI Global Ltd on the Australian Stock Exchange. Initially it retained a 40% interest in SAI Global, but progressively sold this shareholding down to zero, enabling it to focus exclusively on its core business of developing and managing its collection of 7000 Australian Standards and representing Australia's interests in international standardization.

[edit] Controversy

Standards Australia was criticised over the way it represented Australia's position in Microsoft's quest to have its OOXML document format ratified as a standard with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Some sectors of the IT industry described Standard Australia's decision to cast an "abstain" vote as "bizarre".[3] In February, 2008, it was revealed the delegation that Standards Australia sent to the ISO included Microsoft developer and paid consultant Rick Jelliffe, despite having previously pledged to send its own employees.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ AIB Standards Development. The Australian Institute of Building. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  2. ^ About Standards Australia. Standards Australia (1998-04-10). Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  3. ^ Withers, Stephen. "What the...? Australia abstains on OOXML vote", Australia: iTWire, 2007-09-04. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 
  4. ^ Gedda, Rodney. "Microsoft developer joins Aussie OOXML standards delegation", Australia: Computerworld, 2008-02-20. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 

[edit] External Links