The reform of the Victorian Residential Tenancies Act has impacts for gasfitting, which highlights the need for a far better compliance regime. Master Plumbers’ Chief Technical Advisor, Gary Bath explains. The Victorian Government’s update of the Victorian Residential Tenancies Act this year has 130 reforms to be implemented with a view to making renting safer and fairer. Of interest to our industry’s gasfitting sector is the mandated requirement to undertake a Gas Safety Check (GSC) every two years. The Gas Safety Check defined in the Act has a mix of: • Compliance audit items on the existing gas installation; • Checking correct installation of isolating valves where required;
Understand the new tenancy Act 12 | Australian Plumbing Industry Magazine | Winter 2021
• Whether the gas cooker is secured; • Clearance from combustible surfaces; • Checking on the condition of gas appliance flue systems including chimneys; • A requirement to test the existing gasfitting line for leakage; and • A set of steps defining the servicing of each gas appliance. The release of the new prescriptive guidelines again show the failure of adequate regulation for the gas industry. Once again, the government is putting this responsibility in the hands of the attending gas service person.
