Public Awareness, Professionalism and Professional Accreditation; International Collaboration

Abstract

I welcome discussion of these issues in an international forum. In my view, the Statistics discipline can only make a ''Great Leap Forward'' when it starts taking them seriously. The ISI has an opportunity to play a leadership role, which is part of its purpose. My comments are informed by the experience of the Statistical Society of Australia (SSAI) in introducing optional Professional Accreditation for its members, an outcome of a `grass roots' movement in the Australian statistical community in the mid-1990s.