NATA structure
An independent, not-for-profit company that operates as a Member Association, NATA is Australia’s oldest and most trusted accreditation organisation.
Recognised by, and holding a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Australian Government, NATA is the pre-eminent national authority in laboratory accreditation.
Governance
NATA is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from its members and stakeholders and is responsible for overseeing all of the Association’s activities.
The Board is supported in the day-to-day running of the company’s activities by an Executive Team drawn from senior NATA staff.
Advice and expertise
NATA Accreditation Advisory Committees (AACs): Specialist technical committees appointed by the Board who provide technical advice to NATA. AAC members are drawn from industry, government, professional bodies, academia and accredited facilities.
Technical Assessors: Specialists within their own disciplines who volunteer their time in evaluating the technical competence of organisations seeking accreditation.
Member Advisory Forum (MAF): The MAF membership consists of representatives from our members and other stakeholders with a high-level view of business and industry developments and a commitment to ongoing strategic level dialogue and guidance on best practices.
NATA staff: NATA’s professional status and expertise is underpinned by the specialist knowledge of its staff based around Australia. NATA’s staff are committed to providing a quality service to our clients and for the public good.
International activities & agreements
NATA’s international activities have two dimensions – participation by NATA in international fora and the provision of support to the Australian Government on matters relating to accreditation and conformity assessment.
NATA represents Australian interests particularly in the development of international standards and the establishment of arrangements such as Free Trade Agreements.
NATA’s competence as an accreditation provider is recognised through its full Member status as a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangements.
NATA staff actively participate in ILAC and APAC working groups, including participation by the CEO on the Executive Committees and peer evaluations of its mutual recognition partners.
Domestic activities & agreements
We partner with leaders in Australia’s technical and business communities on a day-to-day basis by identifying and managing risk in their organisations and adding genuine value to their operations through our accreditation services.
With government, NATA has signed agreements (Memoranda of Understanding and/or Deeds of Agreement) that position us as leaders in governmental accreditation services.
Overall, these activities and agreements provide the basis for sound, ongoing relationships and an exchange of high level strategic information that ensures the availability of accredited infrastructure to meet current and emerging needs.