As we move into a new financial year, I would like to take the opportunity to celebrate Standards Australia’s achievements in the year just concluded.
 
Last year, we forecast 403 publications, which we exceeded with 484 publications. This increase is consistent with previous years’ growth and reflects on our contributors’ dedication in challenging times. With the strong commitment of all involved, we have been able to deliver many projects ahead of schedule.

FY21 was a big year in terms of our ongoing transformation program. We are investing in technology and changing how we work with our customers and contributors to make their experience better every day. Over the financial year, we engaged many new staff with new capabilities to support and deliver on our plans.
 
April was a particularly momentous month for Standards Australia. After a culmination of years of planning and work, we launched the Standards Store. For the first time since 2003, Standards Australia has a direct channel to market, providing digital standards for our customers.

In FY21 we strengthened our engagement function to provide greater support to stakeholders and nominating organisations. The feedback on this change is that we are more responsive, easier to work with and, proposals are coming through the pipeline much more efficiently.

Other achievements include projects the international and national teams are working on in new areas and the graduation of our NEXTgen participants in May. I am eager to see their valuable input in the years ahead.
  
Additionally, we completed our Board led company governance review. Members strongly supported the adoption of a new modern constitution – which is available here.
 
We are incredibly appreciative of all the members, contributors, stakeholders and staff - who, working together, have helped Standards Australia deliver trusted solutions that truly improve life and empower communities.

While acknowledging these achievements I also note that there are still many other changes and critical improvements coming over the horizon.
 

Once a niche sport, the climbing industry in Australia is gaining popularity and now serves a highly diverse community.
 
Technical committee SF-047 Artificial Climbing Structures has recently revised AS 2316.1:2009, Artificial climbing structures and challenge courses - fixed and mobile artificial climbing and abseiling walls, and has released three standards in its place which better articulate test methods for artificial climbing walls, non-belayed climbing walls, and climbing holds to provide guidance to designers, manufacturers and facility operators to avoid injuries to climbers.
 
Read more about the changes here.

The go-to standard for assessing wind impacts on structures has recently been reviewed and published.

AS/NZS 1170.2, Structural design actions – Part 2: Wind actions, is a heavily used standard referenced by the National Construction Code of Australia and the Building Code of New Zealand.

Significantly, the revised standard reflects the current research and understanding of wind events and the ongoing effects of climate change, as extreme weather and climate events have serious impacts on our economy, society and environment.

Read more about standard here.

In the average Australian home, water heating systems are the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions, producing almost a quarter of household emissions.
 
Standards Australia has recently published a revised standard relating to the assessment of energy consumption for heated water systems. The updates within the revision, detailed here, now include guidance for evaluation performance assessment methods for larger systems and those using photovoltaic energy sources.

COVID-19 has shone a light on the importance of outdoor spaces, with many of us in lockdown relying on green spaces as a circuit breaker, source of relaxation and a way to keep active.
 
With a growing reliance on outdoor spaces and denser populations, it’s important that urban infrastructures are developed to keep in the cool.
 
It’s vital that infrastructure planning incorporates Urban Green Infrastructure to cool down urban spaces to ensure liveable, sustainable, and resilient cities.
 
Read more about Urban Green Infrastructure here.

In 2018 Standards Australia adopted a suite of IEC standards under AS 62053 to improve safety and performance across industry.
 
Since then, IEC has made significant changes to their suite of electrical metering standards, so it is critical that Standards Australia remains current and aligns with these changes under modified adoptions.
 
The following article delves into the changes, which will see improved readability of the standards, allowing for better understanding and usability. It will also remove barriers for meter equipment manufacturers as all will operate to an appropriate minimum standard level.

When developing a standard for a consumer product or service, the voice of the end-user is often just as critical as the inputs from industry experts and manufacturers.
 
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) aims to support consumer participation through their Committee on Consumer Policy (COPOLCO).
 
Consumer stakeholders engage with the COPOLCO process at a national level through Standards Australia’s COPOLCO Mirror Committee (CMC).
 
CMC ensures consumer participation in standardisation and, in turn, enables responsiveness to evolving societal needs. Find out more about CMC here.

With the hard lockdown in NSW, construction workers were told to put their tools down. While they kept safe at home, Standards Australia offered free access to the e-learning module, The Value of Australian Standards, to help support their learning and development.

Until 1 July 2021, the module was voluntary. However, when NSW Fair Trading introduced residential building industry reforms, it became mandatory for Design and Building Practitioners prior to registration.

The module provides an overview of Australia’s building and plumbing regulatory framework, how and why standards are used in construction, and more.