Case Study

Accredited testing mitigates non-conforming building products

A report published by the Australian Senate Economics References Committee into Non-Conforming Building Products was released in December 2018. Titled Non-conforming building products: the need for a coherent and robust regulatory regime, the report contains recommendations which are aimed at strengthening accountability and compliance as well as providing additional information to stakeholders. This will allow them to make more informed choices and ensure the development of a robust regulatory regime for Australian building materials.

While the Report takes a broad view of the issues faced by industry and government regulators, it recommended that where an organisation intends to import goods that have been deemed high-risk, the Australian Government require the importer, to conduct sampling and testing by a accredited authority (or an equivalent testing authority in another country that is a signatory to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement).

This recommendation reflects the value of accreditation as a quality assurance tool and highlights the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) as a valuable tool to facilitate trade.

A full copy of the report is available on the Parliament of Australia website.