The Australian Organisation for Quality Inc (AOQ) is a National body with State and territory based operations, plus Regional Groups throughout the country and a growing number of Divisions (groupings of individuals with like interests), each providing training and education for members and industry.

AOQ is member based organisation that provides for individual as well as corporate memberships. Joining AOQ is simple, go to our Membership page for a membership application form.

Suitably qualified Individuals may apply for professional status including Fellow.

AOQ is managed by a Council consisting of a nominee from each member State, an independent President, an independent President-Elect and Immediate Past President.

The AOQ was formed in 1968 as a not-for-profit organisation, and pioneered efforts to gain wide spread acceptance of quality within Australian Industry as a prerequisite for international competitiveness. To that end, the organisation initiated the training and education required to install systems of quality assurance within both the public and private sectors.

It is affiliated and linked with a number of key international bodies.

The Australian Organisation for Quality is Australia's largest supplier of Quality Management training and education and has approximately 6,000 individual and corporate members Australia wide.

Summary of National Activities

National Annual Conference-Qualcon®
National Publication - Quality Australia
Affiliation with International Quality Organisations
Networking Opportunities
Divisions and Special Interest Groups
Training, Education and Professional Development
Quality Awards - Juran Medal, Shilkin Prize and Kevin Foley Award
Representations on Standards Committees
Consulting and Auditing Services
AOQ-NSW is Third Party Certified to ISO9001:2000
Partnering with Academia
National Register for Management Systems Auditors

Annual National Conference Qualcon®

QUALCON® is the annual National Conference of the Australian Organisation for Quality Inc. It assembles speakers of the highest calibre from Australia and throughout the world. Members have the opportunity to learn from the very best about the latest developments in quality practice while sharing and learning from the experience of like minded people.

Qualcon® is held annually, hosted by a different State each year.

In 2010, Qualcon® will be held in Canberra, ACT.

Recent Qualcon® Conferences have been held as follows:
2009: Tasmania
2008: South Australia
2007: Victoria
2006: New South Wales
2005: Queensland
2004: South Australia
2003: Victoria
2001: Queensland
2000: New South Wales

National Publication Quality Australia

Quality Australia magazine is the Official Journal of the Australian Organisation for Quality.

It is published quarterly. Each edition contains information from each member State AOQ, as well as a series of columns on topical subjects and at least one full length paper.

Advertising potential is high as the Journal is read by many decision makers, including quality practitioners, middle and senor managers from a wide range of industries including but not restricted to health, government, manufacturing, IT, Six Sigma, primary industry and food, mining, services, and universities.

Affiliation with International Quality Organisations

AOQ has Memoranda of Association with a number of International sister organisations including:

• New Zealand Organisation for Quality-NZOQ;

• Asia Pacific Quality Organisation-APQO;

• European Organisation for Quality-EOQ;

• Institute of Quality Assurance (UK)-IQA;

• American Society for Quality-ASQ; and

• Various other international organisations.

The Australian Organisation for Quality is able to provide members and clients with information on trends and issues in quality wherever they emerge.

Networking Opportunities

Nationally AOQ provides an annual Qualcon® for members and non-members to network and learn from each other. Qualcon® provides networking opportunities for people within Australia to network with professionals from many overseas countries.

Each State conducts a variety of networking opportunities, usually monthly. Contact your local Branch at:
New South Wales
South Australia and the Northern Territory
Tasmania
Victoria
West Australia
Queensland Please note that Queensland does not have a nationally affiliated AOQ office. You may contact the National President at president_at_aoq.net.au for assistance in becoming a member of our national association. Read More

AOQ also provides opportunities for members in Regional Areas - outside the capital cities to network. Contact your local Branch for details:
New South Wales or admin_at_aoqnsw.com.au
South Australia or office_at_aoq.asn.au
Tasmania or office_at_aoqvic.org.au
Victoria or office_at_aoqvic.org.au
West Australia or office_at_aoq.asn.au
Queensland does not have a nationally affiliated AOQ office. You may contact the National President at president_at_aoq.net.au for assistance in becoming a member of our national association. Read More

For persons with like interests eg Six Sigma, AOQ has developed a system of Divisions or Special Interest Groups.

Divisions and Special Interest Groups

Current Divisions and contact information is:

Queensland and Northern Territory: office_at_aoq.net.au
Western Australia office_at_aoq.asn.au
Defence: office_at_aoq.asn.au
Integrated Management Systems: aoqtas_at_southcom.com.au
Software: office_at_aoq.asn.au
Pathology: aoqnsw_at_ozemail.com.au or office_at_aoqvic.org.au

Training

The Australian Organisation for Quality is Australia's largest supplier of Quality Management training and education.

Training is conducted in each State by the relevant State Association:
New South Wales
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
West Australia

AOQ provides training in all aspects of quality management, business improvement, management issues of relevance to quality practitioners and has access to Certificate in Quality Technology (CQT), the ASQ's (American Society for Quality) CQM, CQA, CQE and NZOQ's (New Zealand Organisation for Quality) CQA.

The Australian Organisation for Quality is the Australian representative for the International Standardized Testing Organization A.G. (ISTO) ISO 9000:2000 examinations. Full details of this examination are available on the ISTO web site:
http://www.isto.ch/

These exams will be held in each State by the local AOQ branch as the demand dictates.  For further details contact the National Office (office@aoq.net.au) or your local State office.

Quality Awards - Juran Medal, Shilkin Prize and Kevin Foley Award

Each year AOQ presents a number of National Awards to members, usually at the Qualcon conference dinner.  The three awards are:

JM Juran Award
To recognise persons who have contributed in an outstanding way to the application of effective quality management in Australia.

Shilkin Award
To recognise persons who have made a notable contribution to Australian quality practice through publication of an original paper on quality or related topics;
and
To encourage AOQ member's careers in quality, to develop their written communications skills and to disseminate their knowledge of quality technology for the benefit of others.

Kevin Foley Award
To recognise persons who have made a notable contribution to Australian quality practice through publication of a body of work (a minimum of ten original items) on quality or related topics. This may include and is not limited to books, research articles, web based material and training materials.

Representations on Standards Committees

AOQ member interests are represented through membership of nine Standards Australia Technical Committees on quality matters as follows:

• QR-001: Quality Systems for the Project Industry
• QR-002: Quality of Service
• QR-003: Software Quality Systems
• QR-004: Statistical Quality Procedures
• QR-005: Dependability
• QR-006: Quality Assessments and Audits
• QR-007: Quality Terminology
• QR-008: Quality Systems
• QR-009: Quality Management Measurement and Test

For more information contact the National Office (office_at_aoq.net.au).

Consulting and Auditing Services

Some States conduct consulting and auditing services for members and non-members in a variety of management technologies. Activities are controlled through the evaluation of sub-contractors prior to contracting. Consultants registers are in place.

AOQ-NSW is Third Party Certified to ISO9001:2008
The management system in use by AOQ-NSW has been subjected successfully to third party certification against ISO 9001:2008.

Partnering with Academia

AOQ has in place a number of arrangements with Universities around Australia and New Zealand.

Qualcon 2008 had arrangements in place with the University of South Australia.

Qualcon 2005 had arrangements in place with:

• The University of Western Sydney (through Incite)

• The University of Melbourne (through EACC) and

• Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

National Register for Management Systems Auditors

In response to many requests from industry, the AOQ has set up a register for Management Systems Auditors.

This registration seeks to register only those persons that meet the following criteria:

1. Knowledge of auditing-both practical and theoretical
2. Knowledge of business principles, and
3. Knowledge of the relevant standard.

For more information contact the National Office (office_at_aoq.net.au).

Updated by Craig Ottaway 21 September 2009