The AER Compliance Procedures and Guidelines (Procedures and Guidelines) apply to gas pipeline service providers under section 64F of the National Gas Law (NGL).
The Procedures and Guidelines provide guidance and information to service providers about compliance with their requirements under the NGL, the National Gas Rules (NGR) and the National Gas Regulations (Regulations), including:
- information about the legislative framework for gas pipelines
- guidance about responding to the Annual Compliance Order (ACO), and
- information about the compliance audits carried out under the NGL.
The AER was required to make the Procedures and Guidelines under section 64F of the National Gas Law (NGL). Section 64F was added to the NGL in March 2023 as part of a package of reforms. Consultation on the Procedures and Guidelines commenced in August 2024, after the final decision was made to make the new ACO for gas pipeline service providers. The consultation process included the following stages:
- an initial consultation on the proposed draft of the Procedures and Guidelines, which commenced on 26 August 2024 and closed on 16 September 2024
- a stakeholder forum on the proposed draft of the Procedures and Guidelines, which was held on 9 September 2024
- a second consultation on the draft decision, which commenced on 22 October 2024 and closed on 15 November 2024, and
- a final decision, which was published on 17 December 2024.