Our Gas Distribution Network

Our gas network delivers energy today to nearly 850,000 homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and other facilities in western Melbourne, Geelong and parts of western Victoria. We are one of three gas distribution businesses in Victoria. You cannot choose your gas distributor - it is assigned to you depending on the area where you live.

Gas is an essential service in Victoria and it will be for decades to come. Our first priority is to continue supplying safe and reliable gas to our customers in Western Victoria. Our responsibilities include managing the reliability of your gas supply (and the frequency and duration of gas outages), gas pipeline safety (up to your meter), metering services and connecting newly built properties to the gas network.

At the same time, household, business, and industrial energy preferences and requirements are changing through the energy transition, and we are planning for how our gas network can best support our customers and the Victorian energy system.

Gas Access Arrangement Review (GAAR) 2028-33

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is responsible for regulating Australian gas distribution, which falls under a national framework.

Every five years, gas distributors across Victoria must submit a draft plan to the AER for the next five-year regulatory period, with the next period covering 1 July 2028 to 30 June 2033. This plan outlines the services we will offer customers, the costs to deliver those services, and the plan for how we will use money collected via the distribution charge on customers’ bills. This process is known as the Gas Access Arrangement Review (GAAR).

Customer and Stakeholder Engagement

Our overarching objective is to develop a Proposal that reflects consumer needs, is supported by stakeholders and is accepted by the AER.

We are seeking input from customers and stakeholders to help us make informed plans for the AusNet gas network in 2028-33. Through this engagement, we aim to understand the values, preferences and long-term interests of our customers.

Our engagement approach is designed to give customers and stakeholders a genuine opportunity to shape our Proposal and satisfy the AER’s requirements, outlined in its Better Resets Handbook.

We have been engaging continuously since our last GAAR (2023-28) process and our 2028-33 GAAR engagement looks to build on the insights gained since the end of that process. This engagement includes the process we undertook for our recent Variation Proposal to amend our 2023-28 Access Arrangement. Our plan for engaging customers and stakeholders through the GAAR 2028-33 process is detailed below.


Our Engagement Model

Our engagement model outlines the various research and engagement activities we are utilising throughout the GAAR process. It enables a range of customers, representatives and stakeholders to shape and offer feedback on our proposal, with defined pathways for reconciliation to best reflect customer preferences.

Our engagement model uses a range of channels, connecting customers and stakeholders to topics and engagement methods that they are suitable for and of interest to them.

GAAR Development Panel

To support the development of our Proposal, we have established the GAAR Development Panel (GDP), which represents AusNet customers throughout the GAAR 2028-33 process. The GDP is an overarching governance group overseeing engagement and providing guidance and advice to shape a Proposal that aligns with customers’ preferences. The GDP engages in deep, focussed discussions on complex topics that are most significant to the Proposal.

The purpose of the GDP is to work constructively with AusNet to shape a Proposal that:

  • Reflects customers’ interests, and
  • They can support.

Its role is to support AusNet to achieve the overarching engagement objective: to develop a Proposal that reflects consumer needs, is supported by stakeholders and is accepted by the AER.

To achieve this the GDP:

  1. Collaborates with AusNet to design and execute an inclusive and effective engagement program
  2. Supports AusNet to shape a Proposal in a dynamic, complex and uncertain context
  3. Represents customers' interests on topics requiring expert knowledge.

For more information, please refer to the GAAR Development Panel Terms of Reference.

GAAR Development Panel Members

  • Nicole Wallis - Chair

    Nicole Wallis is an experienced energy industry executive with over 20 years’ experience across energy market regulation, corporate governance and business transformation. She brings a wealth of expertise in energy policy, stakeholder engagement and operational leadership, supported by extensive executive and Board experience. Nicole offers a balanced independent and customer perspective, and brings experience chairing energy focused customer committees during her time at AGL.

  • Damian Sullivan

    Damian Sullivan is an independent consumer advocate and former Head of the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s climate change and energy program. Damian brings a wealth of experience across strategic direction, research, policy and stakeholder engagement, and advocates for outcomes that serve the long-term interests of all AusNet’s gas customers.

  • David Prins

    David Prins is the Director of Etrog Consulting and is an independent expert in energy regulation and strategy. With over 35 years’ experience working across gas and electricity markets in Australia and internationally, David brings deep expertise in regulatory processes, consumer engagement, and the energy transition. David focuses on consumer-facing issues and seeks to promote and advocate for customer interests throughout this process.

  • Kellie Larsen

    Kellie Larsen brings two decades of experience advising boards, governments and stakeholders on complex energy projects and infrastructure investment. She brings expertise in the energy transition, sustainability and regulatory processes. Kellie is a member of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Advisory Panel and was previously Chair of Jemena’s Energy Reference Group. Kellie brings a technical and consumer focus, to ensure strategies and policies reflect the long-term interests of customers

  • Andrew Richards

    Andrew Richards is the Chief Executive Officer at Energy Users Association of Australia; the peak industry group for large electricity and gas users in the Australian energy market. Andrew provides a strong and trusted voice for large industrial and commercial energy users on AusNet’s gas network.

  • Gavin Dufty

    Gavin Dufty is the National Director of Energy Policy and Research at St Vincent de Paul Society, and is a Board Member of Energy Consumers Australia. Gavin brings a vital consumer advocacy perspective to the GAAR Development Panel and helps represent the interests of vulnerable and low-income Victorians, bringing an affordability, equity, and social justice lens to vital discussions.

GDP focus questions

The GAAR Development Panel has developed a set of 'focus questions' which will guide discussions and topics for engagement to help inform our proposal.

FQ1: How might AusNet develop a good demand forecasting methodology?

FQ2: How can the GDP better understand AusNet’s current and future customer use and service?

FQ3: Is AusNet’s Haulage tariff structure equitable, cost reflective and understandable?

FQ4: How might AusNet engage with customers on how volume risk is shared between customers and AusNet?

FQ5: How might AusNet forecast and plan for a potential rise in dormant connections?

FQ6: What are the cost and equity implications of options to fund renewable gas investment?

FQ7: How might AusNet best support customers, making our services fit for purpose for all?

FQ8: How does AusNet equitably balance price impacts between current and future consumers?

FQ9: How might AusNet deliver safety & reliability trade-offs considering minimum standards?

Gas Stakeholder Roundtable

The Gas Stakeholder Roundtable is an evolution of the Roundtable we engaged with on our 2023-28 Proposal and Variation Proposal. This forum is designed to gather insights and feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders on various aspects of our Proposal, as well as keep stakeholders informed throughout the process.

It provides an opportunity for the many stakeholders interested in gas matters to engage on key topics of interest to them. The Roundtable also provides continuity from the previous two GAAR engagement processes and helps keep AusNet accountable.

Feedback from the Roundtable will be presented back to the GAAR Development Panel for further consideration and discussion. The Roundtable is an advisory group, not a decision-making group, but its insights and advice will be heavily relied upon by the GDP.

Roundtable members are encouraged to:

  • Actively discuss and provide feedback on various topics relevant to thedevelopment of our proposal
  • Meaningfully contribute the experiences and preferences of the organisations/industries they represent
  • Identify key risks, issues and areas of concern
  • Engage on topics of most interest/relevance to them
  • Learn about how they can engage more with our GAAR process if they so desire
  • Make submissions on our Draft Proposal and Revised Proposal.

Current roundtable members include:

  • Retailers
  • Consumer advocates
  • Large energy users
  • Industry representatives
  • Research institutes
  • Government and regulators

Those interested in joining the Roundtable are invited to express their interest.

Please submit your expression of interest to join the Roundtable via the online form above.


For more information, please refer to the Gas Stakeholder Roundtable Terms of Reference.