Australia is currently facing new challenges as it lacks standards to address issues in five key areas: cybersecurity, natural disasters, the environment and emerging technologies.
New report (pdfStandards Australia, Australia’s leading non-governmental standards development agency, said Australia will need up to 4,000 new standards over the next decade to address energy challenges, digital threats and natural disasters. ..
From the first Australian standard established in 1922, which specified the type of bolt used to build the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the country has developed approximately 10,000 benchmarks over the past century.
These standards help design and protect key infrastructure and national icons such as the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne’s tram system, Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium and Canberra’s Parliament Building.
“Many Australians may not be aware that many of our most important country icons are backed by Australian standards.” Adrian O’Connell, CEO of Standard Australia, said..
“The pace and extent of change brought about by the digitization of the world economy, innovation, scientific progress and evolving social preferences is accelerating.”
In addition, Australia said the 4,000 new standards could accelerate the transition to the digital economy, strengthen cybersecurity systems, mitigate the effects of natural disasters and facilitate the adoption of alternative energy sources.
“Without proper national standards in these areas, we risk lagging behind other parts of the world in terms of safety best practices,” said O’Connell.
“This requires the cooperation of experts and the support of government, industry and citizen leaders.”
Meanwhile, Standards Australia states that a cyberattack occurs every eight minutes and the Australian economy loses about $ 33 billion ($ 23.3 billion) each year.
In addition, natural disasters are expected to cause $ 39 billion in damage by 2050, almost double the current $ 20 billion.
Standards bodies are also now working with authorities to develop standards to protect the environment and keep Australia at the forefront of new digital technologies such as 5G, quantum computing, data and digital landscapes. I said there is.
Meanwhile, the report provided details on how the standard helped ensure the stable operation of Australia’s $ 1.8 trillion economy.
Most of the established benchmarks were designed by a team of experts with advances in science and technology.
However, a few people have learned from unexpected catastrophes such as the 1970 West Gate Bridge collapse in Melbourne, the 1989 Newcastle earthquake, the 1997 Thredbo landslide, and the 2011 Brisbane flood.
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Alfred Bui is a Melbourne-based Australian reporter with a focus on local and business news. He is a former small business owner and holds two master’s degrees in business and business law. Contact him at [email protected]