Guide 5 of 6 · The eight ladders
The gasfitter
What licence does a gasfitter need?
Gas work sits beside plumbing with classes of its own. In Queensland only a licensed gasfitter can carry out gas work, and in Western Australia and the Northern Territory a finished gas job leaves paper of its own.
General information, published by Dotto, with every fact linked to its official source and all of them listed at the foot of this page.
The gas ladder
The rungs on this ladder are drawn from NT WorkSafe's published gasfitter classes: the provisional gasfitter, who works under the supervision of a licence holder; the general gasfitter, for approved Type A appliances; and the gasfitter for Type B appliances. NT WorkSafe Type A covers the off-the-shelf appliances of domestic and commercial settings, generally up to a gas input of 1000MJ/h; Type B is the industrial side, up to and including steam boilers and thermal fluid heaters built into an industrial process.
Victoria keeps the same two-type split and adds specialised classes on top of it: Type A appliance conversion work and Type A appliance servicing work are classes of their own, and so is Type B gasfitting advanced work. Plumbing Regulations 2018 Energy Safe Victoria New South Wales splits liquefied petroleum gas by pressure instead: LP gasfitting runs to 150 kilopascals in vapour phase, and advanced LP gasfitting lifts the pressure limit and allows liquid as well as vapour. Building Commission NSW
Who signs the finished gas work follows the same shape as the plumbing ladder: the person who did the work issues the paper, and servicing carries its own endorsement. In Victoria, only gasfitters currently registered or licensed in the Type A appliance servicing class may do routine gas servicing, and the licence card has to show it. Consumer Affairs Victoria Energy Safe Victoria In Western Australia the gas fitter responsible for the work provides the notice of completion; Building and Energy in the Northern Territory the gasfitter who does the work fixes the compliance plate and issues the certificate. NT WorkSafe
The gas classes, place by place
Every place regulates gas work, and each writes its own class or endorsement on the card. The table follows the same order as the eight ladders above.
| Place | The gas classes | The class that signs |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | licensed gasfitter; LP gasfitting and advanced LP gasfitting as restricted classes | the licensed gasfitter who did the work |
| Victoria | Type A and Type B appliances, with specialised classes for Type A servicing, Type A conversion and Type B advanced work | the licensed gasfitter; servicing needs the Type A servicing class on the card |
| Queensland | gas work licence or authority, searched on the state portal | the licensed gasfitter |
| Western Australia | gasfitting licence issued by Building and Energy | the gas fitter responsible for the work |
| South Australia | licensed gas fitter | the gas fitter who did the work, by eCoC |
| Tasmania | licensed gas fitter | not stated on the pages linked |
| Australian Capital Territory | licensed gas fitter, with an advanced class for work over 21 kPa without supervision | the gasfitter, by compliance certificate at completion |
| Northern Territory | provisional, general (Type A) and Type B gasfitters, plus the auto gasfitter | the gasfitter who did the work, by compliance plate and certificate |
Sources: Plumbing, draining and gasfitting work (Building Commission NSW); Using a gasfitter for repairs or building work (NSW Government); Gasfitters (Energy Safe Victoria); Using natural gas and LPG safely (Queensland Government); Gas work licence and authority holders (Queensland Government); Gas safety at home (Building and Energy, Western Australia); Report a gas leak (Office of the Technical Regulator, South Australia); Certificates of compliance (Office of the Technical Regulator, South Australia); Emergency information (Tas Gas Networks); Construction licences (ACT Government, City and Environment Directorate); Inspections (ACT Government, City and Environment Directorate); Gasfitters (NT WorkSafe).
The paper a gas job leaves
The gas document is usually its own, and its clock is tighter than the plumbing certificate's. In Western Australia a completed gas fitting job, servicing aside, brings a notice of completion to you and to the gas supplier within 48 hours. Building and Energy In the Northern Territory the certificate of compliance plate goes up near the control valve, the certificate goes to the owner, and a copy goes to NT WorkSafe within 7 days, plus the gas supplier where the premises is on a gas main. NT WorkSafe In Victoria, installing a gas appliance brings a compliance certificate from the licensed gasfitter, and a cheap job that excludes the certificate's cost is an offence under the Building Act 1993. Energy Safe Victoria
South Australia runs the clearest split of all: you must receive the eCoC within 7 days for plumbing work and within 30 days for gas work. Office of the Technical Regulator Gas fitters give an eCoC for work on gas pipes, for installing or replacing appliances such as hot water units and stove tops, and for converting to another gas; repairs and maintenance on an existing appliance do not need one.
Where one document carries both trades, the place says so. New South Wales' certificate of compliance confirms that a licensed gasfitter completed the work to the industry standards, and it protects you against faulty work, with the licensee's name and licence number on it. Building Commission NSW In the ACT the gasfitter lodges compliance certificates with Access Canberra at the completion of all gasfitting work, and unsafe appliances and defect tags are notified too. ACT Government ACT Government In Queensland, a gas installation that has been inspected ends in a compliance certificate. Queensland Building and Construction Commission
One limit runs through all of it: complex gas installations are outside some certificate schemes. In Victoria, complex gas installations and Type B appliances are not covered by the commission's compliance certificate scheme, and are overseen by Energy Safe Victoria. Building and Plumbing Commission
If you smell gas
For a gas leak, follow the official page for your state or territory. The links below go to those pages.
- New South Wales: gas safety requirements and consumer rights
- Victoria: gas emergencies
- Queensland: using natural gas and LPG safely
- Western Australia: gas safety at home
- South Australia: report a gas leak
- Tasmania: emergency information
- ACT: incidents and emergencies
- Northern Territory: no official Territory gas emergency page is linked here.