Today the AER released its final decision on its Compliance Procedures and Guidelines (Procedures and Guidelines), which will apply to gas pipeline service providers.
This decision follows an initial public consultation and stakeholder forum on the proposed draft Procedures and Guidelines in August and September 2024, as well as a second public consultation on the draft decision in October and November 2024.
The Procedures and Guidelines serve 3 main purposes within the AER’s compliance monitoring framework:
- To provide background information on the regulatory framework for gas pipelines and the information gathering powers available to the AER.
- To provide guidance on the reporting requirements for gas pipeline service providers.
- To set out the AER’s audit powers and requirements for gas pipeline service providers.
The AER is required to make the Procedures and Guidelines under section 64F of the National Gas Law (NGL).
We have endeavoured to balance several factors, including the policy intent of the AER’s powers in the expanded scope of the NGL, the National Gas Rules (NGR) and the National Gas Regulations, the AER’s desire to apply those powers flexibly and transparently.
We considered a range of stakeholder submissions in reaching our final decision. View our Explanatory Note for an overview of our responses to stakeholder submissions on the draft decision.