Victoria endorses NATA accreditation

The Victorian Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) affirming its support for laboratory accreditation as a key element of good business practice.

This is amongst the first MOUs that NATA has signed with an Australian state and reinforces the MOUs that NATA currently has with both the Commonwealth and the Tasmanian governments.

In signing the MOU, the Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, noted the role of NATA accreditation as the government-endorsed mechanism for identifying competent laboratories, saying: "Testing and inspection is a vital yet often unseen part of every Victorian's life, and as Australia's laboratory accreditation authority, NATA can help us ensure that this testing and inspection is provided by the best organisations available."

Both consumers and industry need to be certain that goods and services, either local or imported, have been properly checked or tested with regard to their suitability for the market.

Testing and inspection of goods and services by facilities that have themselves been independently evaluated against international standards is a key part of this process.