In introducing the 2006 Standards Awards, Chairman of Standards Australia, John Castles has again paid tribute to the tireless and invaluable work of all those who contribute to the crucial task of standards development.

“It has been a busy year for Standards Australia, with an increasingly complex environment in which to continue to refine existing Standards and develop new Standards. New technology, increasing community expectations, the continuing rapid expansion of global commerce and the need for Australia to participate at the forefront of international standards development has added to the challenge for Standards Committees.

“The range of areas covered by Standards development continues to grow and with that the need for skilled and committed participation from a vast array of industry sectors is vital.

“We are fortunate in the quality and commitment of the many people who have contributed to our work during the year and I am delighted to announce the recipients of the Standards Awards for 2006. Time poor yet still willing to provide their time, knowledge, skill, dedication and leadership, these people have made outstanding contributions for which we should all be grateful. I offer them my heartfelt congratulations.”

The Standards Award for Outstanding Service – Professor Greg Hancock.

Professor Hancock has been a member of Standards Australia committees working in the field of steel structures since 1983. He was one of the driving forces behind the development of AS 4100 Steel Structures. He also chairs Committee BD-082 Cold Formed Steel Structures which produced the important new edition of AS/NZS 4600 at the end of 2005.

Professor Hancock has been a key contributor to the development of Australian Standards for steel-framed housing and storage racking. Holding both a Doctorate of Philosophy as well as a Doctorate in Engineering, Greg Hancock is the BlueScope Steel Professor of Steel Structures at the University of Sydney.

He became the Dean of Engineering in 2004 and has published over 200 papers and contributions to learned journals.

Meritorious contribution – Electrotechnology Sector – Associate Professor Tony Stokes.

Tony Stokes is an Honorary Associate Professor at the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of Sydney and has been involved with a number of Standards Australia committees and subcommittees since 1979. He is the Chairman of Standards Australia’s Committee for Power Switchgear (EL-007) and its Subcommittee for High Voltage Switchgear (EL-007-04). He is also an active member of the Committees on Industrial Switchgear and Controlgear (EL-006), Power Transformers (EL-008), Subcommittees on Fuses and Fused Combinations (EL-007-05) and Fluids and Materials for Electrotechnical Applications (EL-008-01).

Dr Stokes has broad knowledge of all aspects of Power Engineering and is both an invaluable contributor to the work of these committees. He actively supports Standards Australia’s processes and is a strong advocate for harmonisation with International Standards.

Meritorious contribution – Fire Protection Sector – Mr Ralph Garbutt.

Ralph Garbutt has given over 40 years of service to the fire protection industry. He has been engaged in most facets of fire protection and detection.

Ralph has been a member of Standards Australia fire committees for over fifteen years. He is a dynamic and consistently productive member of FP-001, FP-002, FP-011, FP-021 and FP-022. He is also Chairman/Convenor of FP-001-04 Detection.

Through his commitment to the integrity of the fire protection industry and by sharing his remarkable breadth of technical expertise, Ralph has made an exceptional contribution to the development of Standards for fire protection and life safety in Australia.

Meritorious contribution – Materials and Safety Sector – Mr Ern Millard.

Ern Millard is passionate about standardisation and workplace safety. He has been a member of Safety Standard committees for over twenty-two years. These committees have included SF- 002 Industrial Accident Records, SF-008 Guarding of Power Presses and SF-032 Guarding of Industrial Robots. In addition, Ern chaired Committee SF-041, General Principles for the Guarding of Machinery since its first meeting in 1989.

From the chair, Ern has guided Committee SF-041 to develop a new approach to standards in the field of safety of machinery, including the fully revised publication earlier this year, of AS 4024 Safety of machinery.

Ern has championed the concept of coordinating all the safety of machinery standards in one suite. Meritorious contribution – Communications, Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Sector – Mr Noel Higgins.

Noel Higgins is a former Chair of Committee RC-006 Radiocommunications Equipment- General of Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) – formerly the Australian Communications Authority (ACA). Over the last 15 years he has contributed significantly in developing home grown Standards as well as ensuring that Standards are kept up to date. He has also made RC-006 Radiocommunications Equipment Standards more widely available through the ACMA process for wider industry consultation. As well, he has participated in RC-004 Radiocommunications Equipment Maritime and Safety of Life.

His Standards development skills, attention to detail, clarity of Standards writing and ease of use have been outstanding.

Outstanding Committee – Committee IT-014 Health Informatics.

Standards Australia’s IT-014 Health Informatics Technical Committee, develops Australian Standards and related materials that support the national goal of interoperability across the health sector, including maintaining compatibility with international e-health developments.

In the year to June 2006, IT-014 published seven Standards, three handbooks, one technical specification and five amendments.

IT-014 Standards and related publications support the national e-health agenda by facilitating the sharing and communication of clinical and administrative information between health care providers and will contribute to health service improvement.

In addition, IT-014 members have led the development of several international standards. Most significantly IT-014 members are playing key roles in influencing the strategic positioning of ISO TC 215 and HL7 and encouraging global collaboration and consistency between major standards development organisations.

To stay up to date and view a full list of drafts for comment visit www.standards.org.au.

Standards Australia’s project managers’ facilitate committees comprised of experts representing a broad cross section of industry and the community, such as governments, industry bodies, trade and professional associations, academia and consumer groups.

Standards Australia is recognized by the government as Australia’s peak standards body. It develops Australian Standards® of public benefit and national interest and supports excellence in design and innovation.