Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman Professor Allan Fels and the Chief Executive of Standards Australia, Mr Ross Wraight, today signed an important Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two organisations.
Appropriately, the signing occurred on the first day of the Global Commerce Conference in Sydney organised by the ACCC.
The conference aims to improve consumer confidence in electronic commerce and the global marketplace, through the development of enforcement, compliance and rule making strategies for consumer protection. It deals with areas where it is increasingly important that objective standards are available to provide an objective measures of performance or fitness.
The MOU is built upon the already close relationship between the two organisations. For example ACCC staff take part in a number of Standards Australia drafting and advisory committees. The MOU will strengthen this relationship.
‘The MOU will promote a closer working relationship between ACCC, which is responsible for enforcing mandatory safety and information standards under the Trade Practices Act 1974 and Standards Australia whose standards may form the basis of mandatory standards,’ Professor Fels said. ‘Its activities foster the implementation of standards based on internationally accepted principles of transparency and stakeholder agreement. These can form the basis of self-regulatory regimes’.
In signing the MOU, Mr Wraight noted that standards are becoming increasingly important as a means of providing an objective measures of performance or fitness.
Mr Wraight said given the role of the ACCC in enforcing mandatory standards, Standards Australia will ensure an ACCC representatives is part of committees developing or revising standards that are or may become mandatory. He noted the ACCC's asssitance in advising Standards Australia of any improvements that its experience in enforcing such standards brings to light.
The success of the Australian Standards on Complaints Handling and Compliance Programs will encourage the development of Australian standards on processes and procedures such as business codes of practice where they will facilitate efficient and effective resolution to market problems.
The agencies will meet twice yearly to facilitate the adoption of Australian Standards as international standards.
