An agreement that any extended distribution of standards between SAI Global and Standards Australia will be non-exclusive was determined in December 2018.

Being in an exclusive distribution agreement with SAI Global since 2003, Standards Australia is eager to get to the end of this process as quickly as possible sometime later this year, but until then Standards Australia will continue to be distributed through SAI Global. 

Standards Australia chairman Richard Brooks says this change will open doors to building capability and external partnerships to deliver new methods of distribution to end users.

“Standards Australia has been aiming to make Australian communities safer, help our economy grow and connect our nation to the world for almost 100 years,” he said.

“Improving every aspect of our work – from how we connect with contributors, to how we foster innovation and how we distribute our content has been a major part of our agenda. However, as the world of publishing changes, we must also change to continue our strong, positive contribution to the community and empower those who use our content.”

The first thing Standards Australia will do in this transition is explore additional distribution channels. The next stage of transition will start with an open process of consultation with stakeholders to understand how the current and future distribution models can deliver easier access for those who use Standards Australia’s content.

Standards Australia chief executive officer Bronwyn Evans says stakeholder engagement is one of the most important things of the transition.

“Operating an open and transparent process is our core business. This is an opportunity to design a Standards Australia of the future that relies on all interested stakeholders, whose support and contribution will be vital in the improvement and innovation in the distribution of Australian Standards,” she said.

Standards Australia will be providing details on its consultation over the coming months.