Smell gas right now?
Get everyone out of the house. Don't touch light switches, appliances or anything with a flame. Once you're outside, ring the emergency number on your gas bill. A licensed gas fitter comes after the leak is made safe.
Gas in Brisbane: the local picture
Brisbane has a gas network
The Queensland Government lists Brisbane among the areas with a natural gas distribution network, alongside the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich and Toowoomba. Not every street is connected, so check before planning a new gas appliance.
One trade, several licences
A gas work licence (servicing) lets the holder service, repair and test appliances but not install them. Work done by an interim licence holder has to be checked and signed off by a full licence holder.
Plates are mostly gone
Since July 2025, most Queensland gas installations no longer need a physical compliance plate; caravans are the exception. Your proof is the compliance certificate.
Anyone can check a licence
The RSHQ Portal lets you search current gas work licence holders without an account. The Queensland Government's advice is to check the licence is current and covers the work.
Which licence your job needs
| What it covers | Licence the fitter needs | |
|---|---|---|
| New cooktop, oven, heater or gas hot water | Type A gas devices: badged, mass-produced appliances | A full gas work licence for installation |
| Servicing or repairing one of those appliances | Inspecting, cleaning, adjusting, testing and repairs | A gas work licence, including the servicing-only kind |
| Commercial or industrial gas equipment | Type B gas devices: most industrial plant and some commercial devices | A gas work authorisation for that device or group |
| Removing an appliance and capping the line | Removing and altering a gas system is gas work | A gas work licence that covers it |
The paperwork after an install
When a new gas installation is finished, the fitter issues you an original gas system compliance certificate through the RSHQ Portal. If your gas comes from the network, the network operator gets a copy too.
If the fitter has safety concerns about your system, they must give you a defect notice, unless they fix the problem then and there. Treat it seriously and don't use the appliance until it's sorted.
Moving off gas
Queensland's hot water rules don't force anyone off gas, so a switch is your call. If you do go electric, taking out the old appliance and capping its supply is gas work for a licence holder. See gas disconnection and heat pump hot water in Brisbane.
Questions to ask a Brisbane gas fitter
- What type of gas work licence do you hold, and does it cover installation?
- What's the licence number, so I can check it on the RSHQ Portal?
- Will you issue the compliance certificate through the portal when you finish?
- Is my street on the natural gas network, or will this run on bottled gas?
- If you find a safety problem, can you fix it on the day?
What we would do
Before anyone touches the gas, ask for the licence number and look it up on the RSHQ Portal; it takes no account and shows whether the licence is current. Match the licence to the job: servicing-only is fine for a repair, not for a new cooktop. After an install, check the compliance certificate has arrived, and file it with the appliance's manual.