History

Independent Ceramic Tile Merchant Associations have existed in all Australian States for more than 50 years.

In 1965 representatives from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia met to form a federal body. By 1970 Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory had also joined. In these years membership was restricted to just Tile Merchants.

National meetings were held twice yearly, and each State took turn to host the Annual General Meeting. Australia’s major manufacturers were invited to that meeting and each made presentations on developments in the industry. A tradition was established of the manufacturers hosting a formal dinner for all participants in the evening.

Matters of concern to distributors and retailers of ceramic tiles were on each meetings agenda, and one of the early agreements was on a Code of Ethics for the industry.

Nearly all sales of tile at that time were of wall tiles and it was not until 1974 that floor tiles experienced significant sales growth.

In 1995 at the Launceston Conference the merchant associations agreed to change the name of the group to The Australian Tile Council Incorporated, with membership becoming open to "all bodies and persons who have a genuine interest in the responsible sustained growth of the Ceramic Tile market".

Each State would be separately incorporated, be a Division of the Australian Tile Council and be governed by its own committee.

It was also agreed to establish a National Office of the Australian Tile Council to coordinate all nationally based initiatives run by a National Committee consisting of representatives from all States.

This move was endorsed by the major manufacturer representatives present, and a number of manufacturer and merchant delegates were immediately elected to the inaugural Management Committee.

Members would join in the State they operated in with those companies with offices in more than one State required to join in every State they operated in.

A National Constitution was adopted at the Brisbane Conference in April 1996, with each Division agreeing to bring their own constitution into conformity with the national document.

In 2008 it was agreed to allow nationally based companies, other than retailers, to join as National members entitling them to memberships in all States and Territories.

In 2017 the ATC set about writing its own Tile and Tiling Guide which was first published in 2018.

In 2024, produced and released our Online Training Courses.

Today the Australian Tile Council is Australia’s National Representative Body for the tile industry.