Gas Supply Act 2003

The Gas Supply Act 2003 and Gas Supply Regulation 2007 regulate the supply and sale of reticulated covered gases. The Act covers:

• a business licensing regime for distributors of reticulated covered gases
• powers to ensure sufficiency of gas supply to essential services and other priority customers in the event of a shortage of covered gases supply to an area
• rights and responsibilities of gas distributors carrying out gas infrastructure work in publicly controlled areas such as roads
• ensuring the interests of customers are protected through the development and approval of industry codes, such as the Gas Distribution Network Code, which is administered by the Queensland Competition Authority.

Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004

The Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 regulates the technical and safety aspects of gas production, transmission, distribution and use and deals with licensing of gas transmission pipelines.

Learn more about petroleum and gas safety.

National Gas (Queensland) Act 2008

The National Gas (Queensland) Law applied by the National Gas (Queensland) Act 2008 applies the National Gas Law (NGL) and National Gas Rules in Queensland. The gas law and rules regulate third-party access to natural gas pipelines and establish the short-term trading market and a bulletin board for information on natural gas services.

Find the gas law and rules on the Australian Energy Market Commission website.

National Energy Retail Law (Queensland) Act 2014

The National Energy Retail Law (Queensland) Act 2014 applies the National Energy Retail Law (Queensland) (NERL-Q), which is an energy specific consumer protection framework and commonly known as the National Energy Customer Framework (NECF).  It regulates the supply and sale of both gas and electricity to retail customers.

The retail sale of electricity and gas is authorised by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) under the National Energy Retail Law (NERL).

The NERL is a schedule to the National Energy Retail Law (South Australia) Act 2011 and is supported by regulations and the National Energy Retail Rules (NERR). The NERL-Q and National Energy Retail Law (Queensland) Regulation 2014 include a number of derogations from the NERL framework to ensure it is fit-for-purpose for Queensland’s needs.

Energy and Water Ombudsman Act 2006

The Energy and Water Ombudsman Act 2006 gives small energy customers a timely, effective, independent and just way of referring disputes about matters involving energy entities, and having the disputes investigated and resolved.

To learn more about the Act, and about the Energy and Water Ombudsman Regulation 2022, visit Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland.

Under the Gas Supply Act 2003, if you distribute covered gas, by transporting and supplying it through a pipeline or reticulation system, you will generally require a distribution authority.

Distribution authorities are issued by the Regulator (Queensland Treasury).

You must apply in writing to the Regulator for a distribution authority.

Application guidelines are available below to assist prospective applicants as well as current authority holders who wish to amend, transfer or surrender an existing authority.

Copies of distribution authorities issued by the Regulator are available in the register.

Forms and guidance

Applications must be made using the appropriate form.

The guidance document below provides information on when to apply for a new authority, as well as transferring, amending or surrendering an existing authority:

• Application for a gas distribution authority (DOCX, 84KB)
  • Gas distribution authority guidance (PDF, 301KB)
• Application to transfer an authority (DOCX, 71KB).

Authority proformas and conditions

You must comply with the conditions of any authority you hold.

Distribution authority holders are required to complete an annual report on their operations and submit it to the Regulator. There are a number of conditions and obligations for distribution authority holders in the Gas Supply Act 2003.

The proforma authorities set out below show the general conditions that apply to distribution authorities. The Regulator may choose to impose additional or different conditions.

• Proforma: Distribution authority (PDF, 512KB)

Reporting requirements for gas authority holders

Annual reports

• If you are an authority holder, you must submit an annual report to the Regulator.
• Queensland Treasury will contact all distribution authority holders annually and provide them with the relevant annual report templates and instructions on how to complete them and return them to the Regulator.

Entry notification reports

As a condition of its distribution authority, distributors must submit to the Regulator an entry notification report, within 1 month of entering a premise under section 139 and/or 140 of the Act.

You can use these entry notification report templates to submit your notifications:

• Entry notification report s139 (DOC, 44KB)
• Entry notification report s140 (DOC, 64KB).

Entry reporting requirements are covered by sections 139 and 140 of the Gas Supply Act 2003.

The distribution authorities issued by the regulator to date (which includes authorities replacing previous authorities issued in response to fresh applications and those surrendered) are listed below. The regulator's responsibilities in regard to the register of distribution authorities are set out in sections 308 to 310 of the Gas Supply Act 2003.

Distribution authorities

Current

• DA-A-005 – Maranoa Regional Council (PDF, 26KB) – issued 26 May 2004
• DA-A-006 – Western Downs Regional Council (PDF, 26KB) – issued 17 June 2004
• DA-A-007 – Australian Gas Networks Limited (PDF, 485KB) – issued 2 July 2004
• DA-A-009 – Allgas Energy Pty Ltd (PDF, 40KB) – issued 27 September 2004
• DA-A-013 – Charlton Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd (PDF, 440KB) – issued 11 November 2014
• DA-015 – Aatlis Utilities Pty Ltd (PDF, 1.9MB) – issued 3 October 2019
• DA-016 – Wellcamp Gas Pty Ltd (PDF, 435KB) – issued 29 March 2021

Contact for gas distribution licensing

Queensland Treasury
Phone: 13 43 87

Also consider...

• Learn more about gas in Queensland.
• Learn about electricity regulation and licensing in Queensland.
• Find out about regulators and other peak bodies for the Queensland energy industry.

A regulatory framework supports gas reliability and supply adequacy across the East Coast Gas System.

In the event, or likely event, of a gas supply shortage to an area in Queensland, the Gas Supply Act 2003 gives the minister power to regulate the supply, distribution and sale of gas to customers.

In such an event, a priority for the government would be to ensure an adequate supply of gas to essential services such as hospitals and aged persons homes.

For further information, contact Queensland Treasury on 13 43 87.

Gas infrastructure work

The Gas Supply Act sets out the processes by which a distributor is able to install, operate and maintain natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas infrastructure on a publicly controlled place such as a road. Download the guidelines for gas infrastructure work in publicly controlled place (PDF, 42KB) to find out more about these processes, including the rights and obligations of the distributor and the public entity that controls the road or other public place.

Also consider...

• Learn more about gas in Queensland.
• Learn about electricity regulation and licensing in Queensland.
• Find out about regulators and other peak bodies for the Queensland energy industry.