The purpose of Standards Australia is clear: Enabling the safe and sustainable progress of Australian communities. Nowhere is this purpose more critical than in the infrastructure sector, which currently accounts for over 70% of Australia’s total carbon emissions. 

I recently attended the launch of the new ARC Training Centre for Whole Life Design of Carbon Neutral Infrastructure Center in Melbourne. Helping launch DfCO₂, in our capacity as an official partner, is another example that highlights how standards help drive progress across the infrastructure sector.

How we upskill the infrastructure workforce with an increased capability to design, construct, operate and dispose of infrastructure in a carbon neutral way is growing in importance.

In addition, the identification of new market opportunities, as well as determining ways to influence the reshaping of Australia’s infrastructure market toward low-carbon solutions, are also increasingly important.

Standards sit at this intersection of industry, policy, and research - they are the foundation of credible, proven frameworks that support our national transition to net zero.

The influence of Standards Australia extends strongly past local markets. Our technical committees, from sustainability in buildings and civil engineering, to environmental management and sustainable development, bring Australia’s technical expertise to the world stage and help shape the future of sustainability globally.

We also proudly support local new and emerging materials going into market through a trusted and robust process - aligning with carbon neutral goals along the way.  

The new standard on biochars and biocarbons, and the technical specification supporting the Government’s battery storage rollout have provided consistency and quality needed to help Australia meet its net zero ambitions.

In this context, the new DfCO₂ Centre is a bold and visionary initiative with a goal to empower Australia’s infrastructure workforce to measure carbon emissions consistently and design carbon-neutral structures across their entire lifespan.

Like our own goals these are ambitious, but essential to ensure what we build today supports the community tomorrow.

Join us for a free online event as we unpack the newly revised AS 4000 General Conditions of Contract, a widely used standard form contract in the Australian construction industry. This marks the first update since 1997, reflecting nearly three decades of legislative and industry change.  

During the session, we’ll walk through the key changes and what they mean for professionals using AS 4000 in construction projects.

Registrations are open!

📅 Tuesday, 12 August

🕐 1-2 PM (AEST)

🗣️ John Cooper (Jones Day) and Kareen Riley-Takos (Standards Australia)

Secure your spot

We are publishing a revised set of product safety standards to clarify and strengthen mattress firmness requirements, address CO₂ risks and improve sleep safety communication about Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI).  

The proposed suite of product safety standards will help better protect infants, empower parents as well as better regulate the sale of unsafe products. A mattress firmness standard goes live today, and Standards Australia will release further updates later in 2025.

Read more

Australia’s long-standing leadership in flow battery technology has reached a new milestone with the release of the battery best practice guide for flow batteries titled Flow Battery Energy Storage – Guidelines for Safe and Effective Use.

Read more and download the report

Standards Australia has selected Sepideh Koohestani and Al Hanoof Al Maamari to represent the country in the 2025 IEC Young Professionals Programme. They will join peers from around the world in a year-long programme designed to deepen their expertise in international standards development.

Read more about their journey

The event will focus on how building simulation plays a significant role in achieving net zero energy and carbon both now and in the future, without compromising human health and wellbeing.

Registrations are open

Learn more about our international initiatives and how to get involved.

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Check out the latest standards development news in your industry sector.

Help us keep Australians safe! Our public comment phase provides an opportunity for stakeholders and members of the public to make valuable contributions.

Draft standards open for comment