Guidance on natural gas projects to regional communities

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the National Competition Council have today issued a joint publication that assists in addressing issues relevant to proposed gas transmission pipelines to regional communities.

The Regional development of natural gas transmission pipelines guide is designed to assist local government authorities considering the regulated versus unregulated options available to them.

"Regional development is a top priority for Australia", ACCC Commissioner, Mr John Martin, said today. "This guide will assist local government authorities that may be considering gas pipeline infrastructure projects as part of their regional development strategy and how best to approach them".

The issuing of the publication coincides with the Australian Local Government National Assembly being held this weekend in Alice Springs.

"The aim of the guide is to consolidate, into one user-friendly document, a summary of what the various regulatory agencies are, their role/s and the likely decision steps involved in assessing options for securing natural gas transmission pipeline supplies.

"Whilst the content is general in nature a key objective is also to encourage stakeholders in such projects to engage the relevant regulatory agencies early in their decision making process.

"To address the issues relevant to these projects the guideline poses and answers a number of commonly asked questions, highlighting the point that not all pipelines are regulated and only those meeting specific criteria (unless volunteered) are regulated. This point is reinforced by reference to recent NCC decisions in which coverage of pipelines has been revoked", Mr Martin said.