Accreditation of Australian pathology laboratories is run jointly by the National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA). NATA has a formal agreement with the Commonwealth Government to assess laboratories for the Health Insurance Commission (HIC).

Laboratory accreditation is mandatory; laboratories must be accredited to access Medicare rebates. Assessment is to a series of standards developed by the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and the National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council (NPAAC) in association with the various professional bodies including the:

• Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA)
• Australian Medical Association (AMA)
• Australian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS)
• Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists (AACB)
• Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM)
• Human Genetics Association of Australasia (HGA)
• Australian Association of Pathology Practices (AAPP)
• National Coalition of Public Pathology (NCOPP)

Assessment for accreditation is by regular on-site audits by NATA. These audits are conducted by specialist technical assessors (a peer review process) and a lead NATA auditor. Accreditation is supported by the pathology community; specialist technical assessors are drawn from public and private pathology services and provide this service on a voluntary no-fee basis.