FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why is the STA focusing on accrediting businesses?
The focus is on businesses because the STA’s membership comprises businesses and members agreed the program ought to be aligned to the current membership structure. In the future, the STA will consider introducing a certification program (a different type of accreditation scheme) for individual practitioners.
What does business accreditation actually mean? What does the program accredit?
The objective of business accreditation is to ensure businesses in the industry – beginning with STA members - are operating as genuine businesses with bona fide business practices.
It is important to note that the STA’s Business Accreditation Program does not attempt – or intend - to accredit the actual products and services made or sourced by members and then provided to end customers and consumers. This is a critical distinction.
Nothing, of course, prevents individual businesses from identifying and documenting the specifications and procedures that ensure its products, services and systems are safe, reliable and consistently perform the way they were intended to. Taken further, this could result in the development of an Australian Standard or International Standard.
How does STA’s Code of Ethics fit with Business Accreditation?
The STA has a Code of Ethics, which new members agree to abide by as part of becoming a member of the association.
As part of the Business Accreditation application process, applicants will be asked to re-affirm their willingness to abide by the STA’s existing Code of Ethics.
In the near future, the STA will review the Code of Ethics to ensure it continues to meet members’ and industry needs.
Why is business accreditation only available to STA members?
During the member consultation process, STA members’ said they wanted the Business Accreditation Program to be an exclusive benefit of STA membership.
Members also felt that it would be inappropriate to impose an accreditation program designed, developed and administered by the STA on non members of the association.
Why do you have to be a financial member?
During the member consultation process, members said they felt it would be unfair to allow members’ to apply for, attain and make use of the benefits of business accreditation when there are still unpaid membership dues.
Is business accreditation mandatory?
Not at this point, but it could be in the future.
As with all change, members need to perceive business accreditation as valuable in order to embrace it and make it work.
Once sufficient members attain business accreditation, and everyone can see that it is effective, the STA will consider making it mandatory following appropriate consultation with members.
Why is the period of accreditation 2 years when the membership period is only 1 year?
The STA wanted to avoid imposing an administrative burden on businesses through an annual accreditation renewal process. The STA also wanted to avoid a similar administrative impost on the STA Office given competing priorities and existing resource levels.
Given the difference between the proposed accreditation period (2 years) and STA membership (1 year), what happens if an accredited business member does not renew its membership in the second year of accreditation?
If a member attains Business Accreditation in Year 1 and then decides not to renew its membership in Year 2, it will automatically forfeit its accreditation. The business will also be required to stop referring to itself as an Accredited Business in marketing and promotion activities and withdraw/remove all relative logos and references from their documents, website etc.
Given the relatively low turnover of membership of the STA, this is not likely to be a significant issue.
The model of business accreditation presented during member road shows proposed three levels of accreditation. What are the three levels?
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Level 1 |
The minimum requirements or standards deemed reasonable for a bona fide business in the industry.
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Every member should be able to meet the requirements of Level 1 accreditation. Likely to apply to start ups, small/micro businesses, sole traders and partnerships with minimum resources. |
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Level 2 |
What ‘the best’ businesses in our industry operating in Australia do. |
Small, medium and large businesses could reasonably achieve a Level 2 accreditation if they have processes, systems and practices in place and are constantly looking at ways to strive to compete more effectively and grow. |
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Level 3 |
What the most advanced or sophisticated operators who compete internationally do. These operators set the pace/push the boundaries in the industry. |
Small, medium and large businesses could all reasonably achieve a Level 3 accreditation depending on the processes, practices and systems in place including relevant accreditations. Most likely to apply to medium and large businesses. |
Why have different accreditation levels? Isn’t it fairer to have just one?
Accreditation is about improving industry standards and encouraging best practice, so regardless of where a business is at today, there is always room for improvement.
The STA’s Business Accreditation Program recognises that there is significant diversity in the membership base in terms of size and sophistication of businesses and has been designed to give all members a reasonable chance of both attaining accreditation and then striving to do better.
Also, the question of where to set the bar for a single level accreditation, given this diversity in membership, proved too difficult to solve, hence the inclusion of multiple levels.
The inclusion of three levels enables the STA to avoid a situation where only large sophisticated businesses would qualify if the bar was set too, or alternatively, everyone qualifying if the bar was set too low to accommodate the smaller, less sophisticated operators.
Given that the majority of STA members are on the smaller side, this would have potentially resulted in everyone attaining accreditation too easily, and what would be the point of accreditation in that case?
We run a small business which neither aspires to - nor is ever likely – to achieve Level 3 accreditation. How are the accreditation levels relevant to us?
You would be expected to attain Level 1 accreditation, and then strive to attain Level 2 accreditation over time, assuming that business goes well and you receive appropriate training and support etc. However, give a range of factors, your business may never achieve Level 2 accreditation, and that’s okay as long you are striving to run the best possible business providing the best possible outcomes for your customers.
The spirit of the business accreditation program, and its individual accreditation levels, are there to encourage continuous improvement, and all businesses, irrespective of size or long term aspiration, should strive for continuous improvement.
When a member attains business accreditation, will the level they attain be disclosed?
No. The STA wants to avoid accreditation levels being used as a weapon by accredited members against other accredited members.
Successful applicants will be awarded either Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 based on the information that is provided in the application, but this will not be disclosed to the applicant or acknowledged in public.
Accredited businesses will only be able to refer to themselves as an Accredited Business in marketing or promotional activities.
So, what is the point of awarding different levels of accreditation if the levels are not disclosed at all?
The purpose of awarding levels is for internal purposes to enable the STA Office to develop or source relevant education and training programs targeting the needs of businesses at a particular level to help them improve and grow.
The application form is online. Will there be a printed version?
Currently, the application form is available as an online form only. A printed version will be produced if there is sufficient demand for it.
Who will assess applications?
Initially, applications will be assessed by the STA Office in the same manner that new member applications are assessed.
If the additional workload results in capacity issues given existing resource levels, the STA will consider outsourcing this function to a suitably qualified external provider.
The application process requires businesses to disclose quite a lot of personal and confidential information. How will this information be safeguarded?
The STA has a Privacy Policy, which governs the use of members’ information. This Privacy Policy will apply to any personal or confidential information provided by applicants as part of the Business Accreditation application and assessment process.
The Business Accreditation application form has also been designed to restrict the STA from accumulating members’ personal and confidential information, through an approach comprising either a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ tick-box response with limited requirement to disclose detailed information on the actual form.
If the application form is largely made up of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ tick-box responses with limited supporting/substantiating evidence, how will the STA know that the information provided is true and accurate?
The Business Accreditation application form is relatively easy and quick to complete. It has been designed this way to encourage members to apply as well as to help the STA avoid having to manage members’ personal and confidential data.
To ensure the information is true and accurate in the absence of supporting/substantiating evidence at the point of application, the application assessment process will include independent verification/audit by a suitably qualified external service provider.
Before submitting the application for assessment, the applicant will also have to declare that the information provided in the application form is true and correct and also agree to the application being independently verified.
Who sees the applicant’s personal and confidential information?
The information disclosed in the accreditation application will be seen by the STA Office in the same manner that new member applications are assessed.
From time to time, accreditation applications may need to be referred by the STA office to Council of Management, which may necessitate all or some of the Council of Management office bearers becoming privy to information in the application. However, this would be presented to Council of Management in such a way to protect the identity of the applicant as much as is reasonably possible. This is how queries with new membership applications are currently handled.
Accreditation applications will also be seen by the external service provider appointed by the STA to verify/audit the information provided in the application form.
If a member’s application for Business Accreditation is unsuccessful, will the applicant receive feedback on why the application was not successful?
Yes. The STA will give appropriate feedback to the applicant.
Given the accreditation application fee is payable at the time the application is made, is any portion of this fee refundable if the application does not succeed?
No.
Will applicants be able to dispute the result?
Yes. If the application for Business Accreditation is rejected, the applicant will be able to request that the application is reviewed.
What process will apply for reviewing rejected applications?
The rejected applicant will be reviewed by the STA Office in consultation (if required) with one, a number or all of the members of Council of Management at their next scheduled monthly meeting. No fee will apply to the initial review.
If the first internal review results in the rejection of the application being confirmed, the applicant will be able to request that the application is reviewed by an independent external service provider appointed by the STA. A non refundable fee will apply for the second external review.
If the second internal review results in the rejection of the application being confirmed, the decision will be final and no further correspondence will be entered into.
When will rejected applicants be able to re-apply?
There is nothing to stop rejected applicants applying again and there is no timeframe on when another application can be submitted.
Will members be able to initiate a review of the existing standards if they believe that any of these need to be changed?
Yes. Once a sufficient number of members attain business accreditation, the STA will establish a Business Accreditation Review Panel, comprising Accredited Businesses, to review and improve the program so that it continues to meet members’ and industry needs.
Until this panel is established, feedback on any aspect of the program can be submitted to the STA Office and will be considered by Council of Management during the normal course of business.
How will accredited businesses be acknowledged as accredited and promote themselves as such?
The STA will award Accredited Businesses with an Accreditation Certificate with a unique certification number as well as both the date that accreditation was attained and date that accreditation will expire.
Accredited Businesses will also receive an accreditation door decal (sticker) for display at the business premises as well as a digital media file of the accreditation logo for use on websites and other marketing/promotional material.
In what circumstances can accredited members lose their accreditation status?
Accredited Businesses may lose their accreditation if:
They cancel or do not renew their membership to the STA
They fail to pay their membership dues within a reasonable period of the renewal date
They breach the STA’s Code of Ethics
They breach the STA’s Business Accreditation Policy & Guidelines
They are de-registered
They become insolvent and can no longer trade as an ongoing concern
They become subject to any form of business administration eg liquidation or receivership
Any of the owners/directors are banned or disqualified from being company directors, or become subject to proceedings designed to ban or disqualify them from being company directors
Their public liability insurance falls below $10m
They no longer have worker’s compensation insurance if employing staff.
There are material changes in the business’s circumstances in the period of accreditation that would result in their application for business accreditation being rejected
How will the STA promote its Accredited Businesses so that consumers know to only deal with accredited businesses?
Once a sufficient number of members attain business accreditation, the STA will look into developing a campaign to promote its Accredited Businesses.