The Victorian Government has released a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) amending the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018 to mandate AS 4575 for Type A appliance servicing.

The RIS was developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers and informed by consultation with key stakeholders. It is available for public consultation on the Engage Victoria website at the following link: https://engage.vic.gov.au/regulatory-impact-statement-mandate-australian-standard-4575.

The RIS identifies the preferred approach to implementing AS 4575 as mandating compliance with AS 4575 for Type A gas appliances as well as requiring gasfitters to submit a record of servicing to the Victorian Building Authority within 5 days of completing the work. This is the preferred option as it has the highest overall score in the multi-criteria analysis, factoring in costs, it is expected to provide the greatest net benefit. Amongst other benefits, the preferred option delivers on the government’s objectives in relation to improving the safety of Type A appliances as well as improving regulator information and industry transparency. The RIS also includes the draft amendments to the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018 which are necessary to introduce the preferred option.

Submissions will be open until 22 March, 5:00pm. Submissions will be used by the Victorian Government to make a final decision. Unless you would like your submission to remain confidential, all submissions will be treated as public documents and may be published online.

If you have any questions on the RIS or making a submission, please reach out via email to gas.safety@delwp.vic.gov.au or on 0491 802 399.