What is metrology’s role in facilitating trade? Everyday commercial transactions and international trade rely on the support of a standards and conformance infrastructure comprising metrology, documentary standards, laboratory accreditation and quality systems and certification. Through international efforts to establish mutual recognition and harmonisation across national borders in each area of standards and conformance, goods and services calibrated, tested, inspected or certified in one economy can be accepted by trading partners. The figure below depicts the elements of the infrastructure at national, regional and global levels and the place of metrology – and NMI – in this framework.

NMI is part of Australia’s standards and conformance infrastructure. The role of standards and conformance in contributing to trade facilitation has been recognised by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) with the five Asia Pacific standards and conformance bodies shown being identified as APEC’s specialist regional bodies due to their contribution to APEC’s objectives of enhancing trade and reducing technical barriers to trade.

The figure above also depicts the overarching global standards and conformance framework. Linkages between this framework and global trade facilitation efforts currently exist through the World Trade Organisation's Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO TBT) in which the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML), the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have observer status.