Government Requirement for NATA
NATA has now signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Commonwealth Government, and with the governments of ACT, Victoria and Tasmania.
The Commonwealth MOU states that:
- All Commonwealth laboratories whose principal function is to provide calibration, measurement, testing or related services to either Government or outside agencies will, as appropriate, obtain and maintain accreditation by NATA
- To the maximum extent possible the Commonwealth shall, to satisfy its own testing needs, use NATA accredited laboratories or laboratories accredited by organisations with which NATA has a mutual recognition agreement
- The Commonwealth will encourage other Australian governments and instrumentalities to adopt a similar approach in regard to using NATA accredited laboratories or those accredited by NATA's MRA organisations
Commonwealth Government specifiers who require testing to be performed therefore need to determine whether there are NATA accredited laboratories able to undertake the required testing, and if so, should ensure that the testing specification in tender documents, etc requires such testing to be carried out in a NATA accredited laboratory.
Specifiers should note that where no suitable NATA accredited laboratory can be found in the NATA Directory, NATA should be contacted. Sometimes a laboratory's scope of accreditation can be extended by NATA to cover testing of materials and products similar to those for which accreditation is already held.
What About Competition Policy - Can a NATA accredited laboratory be mandated in specifications?
Yes. The Government accepted the Report of the Kean Inquiry of 1995 which recommended the exclusive use, wherever possible, of NATA accredited laboratories for Government testing. This recommendation was made in the light of the Government's competition policy.
There are compelling reasons for such a mandate.
Firstly, mandating NATA accredited laboratories to undertake testing is a risk minimisation strategy.
Secondly, it is in line with the increasingly common international practice of requiring testing for government purposes to be carried out in third-party accredited laboratories.
Thirdly, specifying an appropriately scoped NATA-accredited laboratory to undertake testing does not necessarily substantially reduce competition. NATA has around 2,500 accredited laboratories in Australia. For any type of testing, it is therefore possible that there will be more than one NATA accredited laboratory able to satisfy the Government's testing needs.
For further information see Specification of NATA by Government Agencies.
NATA as Part of Australia's National Testing and Conformance Infrastructure
NATA, Standards Australia, the National Measurement Institute, and the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand, are the key components of Australia's standards and conformance infrastructure. The Australian Government acknowledges that the work undertaken by these organisations is vital to Australia's economic efficiency and export success.
NATA's Recognition by the Commonwealth
NATA signed its first Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Commonwealth government in 1988. On 25 February 1998, the Australian Government signed a revised MoU with the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), reconfirming its recognition of NATA as Australia's:
- national authority for laboratory accreditation
- national authority for certified reference material accreditation
- compliance monitoring authority for OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice
- designating authority for the European Union Mutual Recognition Agreement
- designating authority for APEC Mutual Recognition Agreements
- provider of the national database of accredited service providers in Australia
It also recognises NATA as a peak authority for accreditation of inspection bodies.
The Government has stated that it sees these MoUs as a means of ensuring that Australia has the best possible standards and conformance infrastructure and that it operates in the whole community's interests.
The Commonwealth's MoU with NATA confirms an international trend for countries to have a single national laboratory accreditation body. The preference for many of Australia's trading partners for dealing with a single laboratory accreditation body at the national level was evident in recent recognition agreement negotiations between Australia and the European Union.
Encouraging and Promoting NATA Accreditation and the Use of Accredited Facilities
Where appropriate, the Commonwealth encourages:
- service providers in all sectors of the Australian community to adhere to the principles of good laboratory practice embodied in NATA's criteria for accreditation, and to have this recognised through NATA accreditation
- the use of accredited laboratories in appropriate purchasing decisions, regulations, quality assurance requirements and operational procedures
In addition, the Commonwealth, in conjunction with NATA, aims to:
- promote an understanding and awareness of principles of good laboratory practice and laboratory accreditation through educational, training and international activities
- strengthen national information services on technical regulations, national and international laboratory accreditation and associated certification and approvals schemes
Through its various accreditation programs, NATA also provides some specific services to the government, such as:
- accreditation of pathology facilities Australia-wide
- accreditation of parentage testing facilities
- supporting the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) and the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Coordinating Committee (ERACC), which regularly use NATA's international agreements to recognise testing done by overseas laboratories
- working with the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (export certification etc)
- providing advice on technical barriers to trade to government departments (ISR, DFAT etc)
- support for the Defence Signals Directorate in the area of IT security
- accreditation of laboratories for the Energy Rating and Minimum Energy Performance Standards programs run by the National Greenhouse Office
NATA's Role in National Interest Activities
The Commonwealth provides support for NATA to undertake various tasks in the national interest, which include: