ISO 9000 in the public sector: a successful case from Australia

Abstract

Purpose – Public sector organisations have been relatively late in adopting ISO 9000 quality management standards in comparison with those from the private sector. While the standards have the potential to provide many benefits, they could also reinforce certain detrimental orthodoxies. How suitable ISO 9000 is to public sector organisations is not clear. This paper aims to assess the suitability of ISO 9000 through the experiences of a public sector organisation.