Program

engage.

enlighten.

empower.

July 7 - 8, 2026

Melbourne Convention and

Exhibition Centre

days

hours

minutes

seconds

Learn Key Tips to Navigate a NATA Assessment

listen.

think.

change.

The Accreditation Matters 2026 program offers two days of learning designed to support meaningful growth for everyone working in accreditation, standards, measurement, testing and conformity assessment. The program provides space to explore emerging challenges, share expertise and deepen understanding. With carefully curated sessions, practical insights and thoughtful contributions from national and international speakers, the program aims to strengthen technical confidence, encourage connection and help delegates return to their organisations more informed, more capable and better equipped for the work ahead.

Key Themes

Industry Essentials

Digital Transformation

and AI

Technical Knowledge

and Innovation

Productivity, Industry

and Regulation

Session Picks

Accreditation as a Force Multiplier for Regulation

Accreditation can transform the effectiveness of regulation. Drawing on real world regulatory challenges, this session explores how accreditation strengthens assurance of compliance and enhances regulatory credibility.

How Robust Statistics Shape Credible Certified Reference Materials (CRMs)

Using real certification case studies, this session reveals how outlier tests and expert judgement influence data retention, uncertainty and assigned values especially when datasets are small or concentrations are low.

Automation Allows More QAP

Discover how expanded quality assurance testing improves accuracy, consistency, and competence by mirroring patient workflows, without adding extra burden on staff burden to mirror patient workflows, eliminate manual errors, and measure gains across time, subscriptions, paper use, and reporting performance.

When the “Small Stuff” Really Does Matter

Small non-conformities often point to bigger, hidden risks. This session explores why the minute details uncovered during an assessment matter and how addressing them early strengthens compliance, performance, and confidence in your laboratory’s results.

Internally Audit Your Way to Success

We highlight the traits of outstanding internal auditors and share practical tips for assembling a top-notch audit team and system. Gain hands-on strategies for embedding continuous improvement and compliance within your lab management framework.

75 Years of Continuous NATA Accreditation Driving Expert Solutions in Australia

ChemCentre is the longest continuously accredited laboratory in the world. Find out how NATA accreditation has been the key to the public trust necessary to deliver on results in legal, public health and environmental matters.

Clear Air, Clear Minds: The Science of Indoor Environments and Productivity

There is scientific evidence linking indoor environmental quality, especially indoor air quality, to cognitive performance and workplace productivity. Learn how factors such as ventilation, CO₂ levels, temperature, acoustics, and more impact mental performance.

Navigating a NATA Audit - Tips from an Authorised Representative

Gain practical, objective, and actionable insights to simplify your assessment process. Understand key responsibilities, what it means to be assessment ready, and how proactive preparation reduces risk, saves time, and delivers more efficient assessment outcomes.

Decoding Proficiency Testing Results: What the Data Is Really Telling You

Go beyond tick box compliance to unlock the real value of proficiency testing. This session demystifies PT data from Z‑scores to En values showing how smarter interpretation builds confidence, supports informed decisions, and drives meaningful continuous improvement.

Structured and Ongoing Training is Essential to Maintaining Compliance

For laboratories accredited by NATA, structured, ongoing training is essential to maintaining compliance, strengthening technical competence, and supporting continuous improvement. Effective training ensures personnel have a clear understanding of ISO/IEC 17025 requirements.

The Invisible Infrastructure to Navigate a Complex World

In a rapidly changing world, accreditation bodies like NATA anchor trust and quality. New University of Technology, Sydney research reveals their powerful economic and emerging benefits including digital trust, sustainability assurance, and supply chain resilience.

The People Behind the Assessment Process

Accreditation is more than process it’s people. From a NATA Team Leader’s perspective, this presentation highlights the human factors behind assessment, showing how supporting assessors strengthens sound judgement, consistency, and public trust.

How Quality and Wellbeing Must Go Hand-in-Hand

Want to understand the critical link between staff wellbeing and quality? This session highlights its impact on human performance, risk management, and the dependable outcomes required for accreditation and stakeholder trust.

The MU Myth: You Don’t Need Months of Data

Using a phased, practical approach, this session shows how initial MU can be established through validation or verification and available performance data, then strengthened during early routine use and sustained through ongoing review as the method matures

Australian Building Standards: Combating Non-Conforming Building Products

This session unpacks greenwashing, data complexity, and supply chain risk, and explores the ABCB Assurance Framework and industry’s growing role in closing implementation gaps, reshaping supply chains, conformity certificates, and acceptance by building certifiers.

Conformity Assessment at Work: Heroes Without Capes

Strict conformity assessment is key to ensuring the safety of the ‘gadgets’ we use in our lives. From consumer products to Industrial to medical to automotive, see how the key roles of standards, regulations, testing, certification, and accreditation bring safety together.

Intelligent Accreditation: The Power of Data in NATA

Explore how data is igniting smarter decisions, strengthening performance, and accelerating next level accreditation at NATA, revealing practical insights, real examples, and proven strategies that turn information into impact.

Non-Conformances Done Right: From Issue to Improvement

Confidently respond to non-conformances by correcting the immediate issue, identifying and eliminating root causes, and using every finding as an opportunity to strengthen processes, prevent recurrence, and drive continuous, measurable improvement.

The Strategic Value of NATA Accreditation in Enabling Diagnostic Innovation

In this session learn why laboratory accreditation is not mere compliance; it is a commercial catalyst, signalling scientific credibility and operational excellence. It unlocks market access, accelerates clinical adoption and more

Can Sustainability Be Measured? The Challenge Facing Australian Building Standards

This session unpacks greenwashing, data complexity, supply chain risk, explores the ABCB Assurance Framework and introduces new traceability and digitalisation guidance shaping future, compliant supply systems.

Don’t Ignore the Weird One - Is That Outlier Trying to Tell You Something?

Why do we dismiss outliers in test results and what do they reveal? This session challenges conventional thinking, showing how timely attention to unexpected test results can uncover hidden risks, strengthen decision-making, and prevent costly failures before they escalate.

A Risk-Based Approach to Mitigating the Influence of Cognitive Bias

This session delivers a proactive, risk-based framework that identifies, manages, and reduces cognitive bias across operational laboratories, strengthening decision‑making and improving consistency and quality.

Organisational Evolution in a Public Science Agency

Discover how ChemCentre’s quality leadership has transformed from a control function into a strategic enabler. This compelling case study shows how strong quality foundations drive scientific agility, innovation, and organisational change in a complex, evolving environment.

The Trust Deficit in Building Compliance - A Panel Session

Our expert panel explores how AI reshapes the trust in what we see and what anchors of trust remain. As confidence is tested, a resilient path emerges, led by the National Building Product Coalition, laboratories, and product certifiers as they underpin a new trust framework.

How the Vocational Education System Can Support NATA Accreditation

This session explains the vocational education and training (VET) system and provides practical insights for your laboratory on how it can be a strategic lever for accreditation success, workforce resilience, and sector-wide capability building.

Preparing for a NATA Assessment

Unlock smarter, faster assessments with practical, real world guidance. This engaging session clarifies key responsibilities, and reveals how proactive preparation streamlines processes, reduces friction, and delivers smoother, more efficient assessment experiences.

How Accreditation is Underpinned by Global Standards

Explore the foundations of NATA’s accreditation framework and how its alignment with internationally recognised standards underpins trust, consistency, and global acceptance for accredited facilities.

Training and Education: Driving Assessment Technical Competence and Improvement

This session highlights how structured, ongoing training sustains compliance, builds technical competence, reduces non-conformances, improves audit outcomes, and embeds a strong quality culture.

Lifting the Standard: Enhancing the Reliability of Inspection and Testing Services

Learn how accreditation enhances the reliability of inspection and testing services, supporting safer operations, and contributing to improved performance outcomes for customers across Australia’s most demanding environments.

A Day in the Life of a NATA Lead Assessor

Well planned assessments are often disrupted by unexpected logistical and operational challenges. A key NATA Lead Assessor shares how they maintain assessment integrity when unpredictability is the norm and how your lab can benefit.

NATA Inspection Sector Update

Discover what’s changing for inspection bodies including the upcoming ISO/IEC 17020 revision and ANZEx RSF Scheme updates. In addition, how new independence categories, revised rules, and updated standards will reshape accreditation, diesel engine systems, and explosion protected equipment repair.

NATA Life Sciences Sector Update

Stay informed with this important Life Sciences sector update. Secure market intelligence on accreditation criteria reviews, assessment trends, regulator feedback, and international standardisation helping technical competence and driving continuous improvement.

NATA Legal & Clinical Sector - Pathology Update

Covering key changes to pathology accreditation, standards, and assessments, this session highlights emerging trends and supports NATA accredited facilities to strengthen compliance, consistency, and continuous improvement.

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