ISO 22301 certification in Australia

ISO 22301 certification in Australia at a glance

What keeps a bank's critical operations running when a key supplier fails? APRA's answer is CPS 230 Operational Risk Management, applying from 1 July 2025: APRA-regulated entities must be able to continue critical operations through a disruption and return to business as usual promptly, and the expectations reach the material service providers they rely on. CPS 230 does not name ISO 22301, but a certified business continuity management system gives both the entity and its providers a recognised structure for impact analysis, recovery strategies and exercising. Critical infrastructure owners face a parallel all-hazards duty under the Security of Critical Infrastructure risk management rules. Certification is by an accredited certification body; JASANZ reports a business continuity accreditation programme aligned with ISO 22301:2019. Sterling builds the continuity system from its Sydney office, linking it to existing CPS 230 or SOCI work, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included.

Who needs ISO 22301 in Australia, and what happens without it

In Australia the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• APRA-regulated entitiesCPS 230 requires continuity of critical operations through disruption.
• Material service providers to banks, insurers and superannuation fundsCPS 230 extends expectations to material service providers.
• Responsible entities for critical infrastructure assetsThe CIRMP rules require an all-hazards risk management program.
• IT, data-centre and outsourcing providersEnterprise customers ask for evidence of tested continuity arrangements.

ISO 22301 requirements in Australia

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.

In Australia these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 22301 explained →

• ISO 22301 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22301 expects

How to get ISO 22301 certified in Australia

One team from the Sydney office carries the work from scoping to certificate. All states and territories, delivered from the Sydney office; remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 22301 and the Australian requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The ISO 22301 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22301 internal audit

How long does ISO 22301 certification take in Australia?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Australia these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of critical operations and sites in scope
• Availability of business impact analysis and recovery tests
• Alignment with CPS 230 or CIRMP work already under way
• Certification body scheduling

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 22301 certification cost in Australia?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Australia these factors move both.

• Number of sites, critical operations and dependencies
• Exercise and testing programme scope
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of ISO 22301

ISO 22301 consultants and certification bodies in Australia

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 22301 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Australia are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

ISO 22301 in Australia: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22301 for Australian organisations

• ISO 22301: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 22301
• Sterling in Sydney
• ISO 22301 certification in Australia and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Australian businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Australia often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in Australia →