In the past the Australian Gas Association (AGA) was made up of three essential elements: the development and publication of gas technical standards; the certification of gas appliances and components; and, the protection and promotion of the gas industry generally. It is the first of these elements – gas technical standards – that is attracting considerable industry concern at present.
From AGA to SA
For many decades, gas technical standards were developed and produced by AGA committees comprising a wide range of industry stakeholders, such as gas technical regulators from various state and territory governments, gas appliance manufacturers and independent qualified technical personnel, such as those working in testing laboratories. The committees were designed to achieve consensus while ensuring balanced and technically sound outcomes to be applied to gas appliances such as cookers, hot water heaters, space heaters, barbecues and a variety of associated components. The standards also covered differences relating to the types of available gas in Australia including natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, town gas and tempered liquefied petroleum gas. The most widely read – and arguably, most important – standard produced was the Gas Installation Code AG601, now known as AS5601. This standard remains a key compliance document for plumbers and gas fitters throughout Australia and is enforced nationwide to ensure the safety of the Australian public.
Gas technical standards development has always been a process whereby new and innovative ideas or any other relevant changes are addressed to ensure gas products continue to meet the requirements for certification and safety. Previously, AGA committees met regularly to consider the issues and to highlight standards that required updating or where a new standard might be required. A technical bulletin detailing the proposed and accepted changes and inviting comment would then be issued to the industry. This process was completed three times each year and resulted in the timely publication of amended standards. Following industry comment, the AGA Gas Technical Standards Council would sign off on any amendments or developments.
Prior to AGA’s accreditation as an authorised Australian Standards writing body, AGA standards, whilst being accepted national standards, were issued as AGA codes identified by an ‘AG’prefix. After accreditation by Standards Australia (SA), AGA codes were then issued with the AS prefix and correctly referred to as Australian Standards.
The agreement to issue gas standards under the SA umbrella required the association to comply with the SA standards development process, replacing AGA technical bulletins with a public comment process. Many say this process contributes to delays in delivering standard updates to industry. In July 2003, responsibility for the standards writing function was formally transferred to SA. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by AGA and SA confirmed that SA would continue to develop and maintain 45 existing gas standards.
The understanding was that all these gas standards would be amended, updated and published as Australian Standards within the following twelve month period. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, this has not happened and some gas standards remain dated prior to 2003.
Pathways for improvement
The problems experienced by SA appear to be resource-related and, given its limited income stream options, it is not surprising that much focus has been placed on its long term contractual agreement for the sale of standards. It is suggested that, under this agreement, SA receives insufficient funding to support the standards development process.
At its own cost, industry continues to provide the technical expertise that is so vital for the development of relevant standards but it is evident that the delays in co-ordinating the committee structures and their outputs is frustrating many stakeholders and has the potential to impact on public safety.
In the five years since SA assumed responsibility for the gas standards, industry concerns about delays have increased. For its part, SA has been focusing on developing a new business model to address the ongoing problems it sees with the current process.
In October 2008, SA released details of this model and how standards development will proceed into the future via four development pathways. These include:
Committee-driven pathways – accredited yet highly autonomous committees drafting standards with defined technical and secretarial support form SA.
A bureau pathway – an enhanced version of the committee-driven pathway, where most responsibilities are covered by one accredited organisation.
Collaborative pathways – stakeholders and SA jointly driving and resourcing projects through a negotiated sharing of responsibility and resources.
An SA-driven pathway – will rely heavily on SA’s resources, expertise and infrastructure. As such, it is only available to projects that are closely aligned with priorities articulated by SA and the Australian Government and which are supported by a very high level of stakeholder engagement, subject matter expertise and support.
Future standard development
While SA is claiming to have identified alternative pathways and new support arrangements that facilitate a more responsive standards development process, stakeholders are yet to see if these initiatives will deliver the improved outcomes they are seeking. In fact some of the processes attached to the new pathways, such as the net benefit requirement to help prioritise projects, are already being questioned.
Gas standards underpin the appliance certification process, which is designed to help safeguard the public. It is essential that they are up-to-date if local consumers are to enjoy the benefits of modern technology and gas appliances are to retain a prominent place in the marketplace.
AGA remains an active supporter of the standards development process. Like others, it is hoping for a successful and speedy transition to a system that satisfies current industry concerns and provides the level of support required by the various industry volunteers that ultimately develop the standards content.