Celebrating 35 Years: 1991 Article by John Hulbert (Interim Secretariat)

Introduction

During the 1980s, Australian industry was faced with a real dichotomy. Whilst it recognised the benefits of introducing responsible quality management systems, it had, and still has, concern with the multitude of customer organisations who demanded the right to audit their quality management systems, and who would not accept the results of audits conducted by other customer organisations.

In 1987 the Foley Report of the Committee of Review of Standards, Accreditation and Quality Control and Assurance recognised this shortcoming and the fact that quality was a major factor that had to be addressed by industry if Australia was to become more competitive internationally.

The report recommended the establishment of a voluntary third party accreditation scheme which would allow accreditation through only one body, which would be sufficient for the rest of industry.

As a consequence of the Foley report, the National Industry Extension Service (NIES) sponsored a project to develop a national accreditation scheme for Australia.

In the early stages of the project, New Zealand expressed an interest in participating fully in any scheme that was developed. A steering group was established which included representatives from industry government and New Zealand to oversight a consultancy to develop the concept of what has become known as JAS-ANZ (the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand).

The importance of JAS-ANZ to industry has been reinforced by the requirement for trading into Europe post 1992. This will involve the need for exporters to demonstrate that their quality management systems meet the requirements of the international standards ISO 9001 to 9003.

JAS-ANZ will be endorsed by both the Australian and New Zealand Governments as the acceptable organisation which will accredit certifying bodies so that any certification of a quality management system conducted under the JAS-ANZ system will have recognition in Europe.

Product certification is also an issue because regulated products being imported into Europe will need to be certified as complying with the specified standard by an accredited testing and certification program. JAS-ANZ will enable product certification programs in Australia to be recognised in Europe.

The Structure of the System

JAS-ANZ will be a body established under the joint authority of the Australian Minister for Industry, Technology and Commerce and the New Zealand Minister of Commerce. The organisation will operate on a commercial non-profit basis, and be controlled by a Council.

The JAS-ANZ Council will include fourteen Australian-nominated members and seven New Zealand-nominated members and be representative of the interest groups that will have a stake in the successful operation of the system. The Council will be responsible for overall direction and management and the creation of national and international acceptance of the system. The Council will be supported by Accreditation Board(s) and a small Secretariat.

How the System Will Work

The main output of the system is certification of an organisation’s quality management system or product against a recognised standard. Organisations that conduct conformity certification will be known as accredited certifying bodies.

Organisations seeking to gain certification will be able to approach a suitable accredited certifying body that will be able to conduct the necessary functions for certification. Alternatively the Secretariat may be approached for a list of suitably accredited certifying bodies for their purpose. The general guidelines for the conduct of such certification activities will be published by the Council. The system however will be based on internationally recognised standards, wherever available, and only in their absence will special JAS-ANZ guidelines be established.

Certification will normally involve an initial audit followed by a program of annual surveillance audits. The certification will normally only be valid for a prescribed period. Once given it will be subject to withdrawal should the organisation fail to satisfy the certifying body that the standard is being maintained.

Organisations which have been certified, or products which have been certified, will be able to display a mark authorised under the system. This mark will be recognised amongst all countries that have granted mutual recognition to JAS-ANZ.

Timing Of The System

The System will be launched on 30 October 1991. The first steps will involve the creation of the Council, followed by the creation of the Accreditation Board and appointment of the permanent Secretariat. The first accreditations of certifying bodies is expected to commence in February 1992 whilst certification activities are expected to commence in March/April 1992.

The Council will focus on accrediting certification bodies operating quality management system certification programs. At a later stage, the System will be expanded to include product, personnel and laboratory certification.

Benefits For Industry

Certification under JAS-ANZ will benefit industry in a number of ways. The first and most obvious benefit will be a reduction in the number of audits being conducted by external sources. This will benefit those industries which deal with a number of customers, of whom most demand quality management system certification and who conduct their own audits.

Quality Management Systems and product certification under JAS-ANZ will be acceptable to the Europeans as soon as a mutual recognition agreement has been negotiated with the relevant European Community authority. This will go a long way to removing one obstacle to opening up the European market to Australian and New Zealand manufacturers.

As the System matures, credibility will also grow. The long-term result should be to lift the quality perspective of locally made products so that they can compete with imported products. The System will provide a vehicle for that confidence to grow.