This month, NATA celebrates 79 years as Australia’s national accreditation body. It is a remarkable milestone that has helped build a foundation of trust in products and services for government, industry, and everyday Australians.
As NATA approaches its 80th year, NATA CEO, Jennifer Evans, looks at the future of accreditation in a landscape shaped by eight decades of change.
Guidance From the Past
“NATA was established in 1947 out of war-time necessity to ensure that ammunition manufactured in Australia could fit weapons made in the U.S.A. Traceable and comparable measurements, quality control, and consistent manufacturing and testing by competent testing facilities were needed for this, and so NATA was born,” says Evans.
Although NATA was established by Government Approved or more correctly, a coalition of our Federal and State Governments, it was formed as a non-Government, not-for-profit organisation whose primary objective was to identify competent, capable testing laboratories.
“In the decades that followed, NATA’s accreditation programs have expanded beyond just testing laboratories to support numerous industries, from healthcare, agricultural, environmental, and forensic science, to manufacturing, consumer goods, infrastructure, and building and road construction,” added Evans.
Almost eight decades after Requirements for Registration – one of NATA’s original publications was published, those same guidelines were adopted internationally and became ISO Guide 25, which is now ISO/IEC 17025. A well-defined range of testing services, appropriate equipment, safety considerations, laboratory procedures, and records, as well as skilled personnel – they are still the fundamental components of a competent testing facility.
“The quality framework we now expect supports the testing and provides a buffer against staff and equipment changes, and any other variables that may impact an organisation’s operations. Despite changes to technology and customer expectations, accreditation is based on the same principles today, and it will likely be so in the future,” added Evans
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From its humble beginnings, accreditation is now a global marker of quality and reliability, an impartial attestation that organisations that test, measure, inspect, or certify products or services are competent and capable, that their results can be relied on, and that decisions made based on those results can be made with confidence.
”Today, we face new challenges. From evolving digital standards to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), our processes, and the way we deliver accreditation, will continue to evolve. However, our foundation remains steady.
Across every sector, we are witnessing organisations adopt more effective and efficient technology by implementing higher levels of automation and digitalised processes. For example, the skillset of scientists in pathology has transitioned to the management and quality assurance of these automated processes, and a focus on actioning outlier or critical results identified by intelligent systems,” said Evans.
Conformity assessment bodies are embracing the possibilities brought by digital technologies to improve, enrich, and extend the delivery of trust. These technologies are transforming their operations and enabling new forms of services, such as remote inspections and real-time monitoring, and making services more readily available across the world and contributing global quality in products and processes.
“We do, however, need to distinguish between enabling tools and core assurance functions,” added Evans. Enabling technologies support data collection, processing, and efficiency, but they cannot substitute the core responsibilities of making conformity decisions or final validations.”
While AI may outperform humans in many analytical tasks, these functions must always include human oversight, professional judgment, and full accountability.
“Technology may assist, and in some cases even lead certain processes, but it cannot replace the assurance principles at the heart of conformity assessment – independence, impartiality, technical competence, and expert human control,” says Evans.
Toward a Brighter Future
As NATA approaches its 80th year, Jennifer believes accreditation is stronger than ever and the future is bright. Indeed, as we embrace technological advances and adapt to shifting market demands, she believes we must continue to innovate and evolve. However, as we do so, we must remain committed to the values of integrity, transparency, and public safety that define us.
“There is no question our future will bring new challenges,” says Evans. Whether in new technologies, digital traceability, or the demands of an increasingly globalised economy, but our foundation must remains steady. That is the reason NATA was established in the first place to support the challenges that were facing a post-WWII Australian economy.”
The pace of change may be increasing, but change is not a new phenomenon. As organisations continue to adapt and evolve, there is more need now than ever for the impartial recognition of their competence and capability.
Jennifer believes that the core attributes of international standards are technology neutral and outcome focused, and they are not time limited, so they can naturally underpin change, development and innovation. Accreditation facilitates the trust that, as organisations adapt and evolve in this increasingly fast-paced world, their reports and certificates can continue to be relied upon.
“For NATA, the value of accreditation extends far beyond assessing compliance with technical standards, concluded Evans. It represents a commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of Australia and Australians, whether underpinning the quality of everyday products and services or supporting international trade. NATA is what it is today because of the laboratories and testing facilities that decided to place quality at the centre of their operations by becoming accredited.
These accreditations were also made possible by our national network of volunteer Technical Assessors. Their deep expertise, professionalism, and generosity continue to form the independent, impartial, and expert process that is the foundation of NATA.”
We thank Jennifer for her time and insights.