On 25 June 2026 the AEMC made a more preferable final rule (final rule) that introduces short term (ST) and medium term (MT) PASA into the National Gas Rules (NGR). The new PASA arrangements will provide stakeholders with better information on the demand and supply balance across the ECGS.

This final rule is part of a set of four rule changes that together form the stage 2 RSA reforms.  

The final rule introduces two new PASA forecasts for the ECGS with seven-day and 12-month outlooks to empower:

• participants to make better decisions around their supply and demand for gas, and facility maintenance
• AEMO to make better-informed decisions about responding to any risks or threats to reliability and supply adequacy in the ECGS.

The final rule implements the objective of the rule change request but differs in details to give effect to the changes, including introducing a new PASA objective and amending the information disclosure provisions. These changes are intended to minimise the implementation costs for industry participants while also providing AEMO with the ability to provide fit for purpose useful information from its forecasts.

The final rule specifies key dates for implementing PASA, acknowledging that the system changes needed for AEMO to analyse information to produce ST and MT PASA are significant. The key dates are:  

• 1 April 2027: AEMO ECGS and BB Procedure updates to be completed. These would set out the details of PASA and the new and amended information disclosure requirements, respectively.
• 6 April 2028: New information disclosure obligations commence for industry participants, and AEMO commences a PASA trial.  
• 8 June 2028: PASA formally commences and is published by AEMO.  

Background

This rule change request is one of four rule change requests that seek to improve the reliability and supply adequacy of the ECGS.  It was lodged by Energy Senior Officials and the Victorian Minister for Energy & Resources in January 2025.

If the proposed changes are made, the reforms would build the second stage of an RSA framework, complementing the first stage changes to the National Gas Rules applied to the ECGS (stage 1).

The stage 1 changes became effective in May 2023 and expanded AEMO’s powers under the National Gas Law to better manage gas supply adequacy and reliability risks in the ECGS.

Information on stage 1 RSA reforms and an overview of the stage 2 rule change requests in our background paper. The background paper also includes information on relevant features of the ECGS and the gas markets.

On 10 April 2025 the AEMC published a consultation paper. Stakeholders provided their views on the issues raised in the rule change request and the proposed solution by 8 May 2025.

On 17 July 2025, the AEMC published a draft determination and draft rule that would introduce two new PASA forecasts.  

Stakeholder submissions to the draft determination closed on 28 August 2025. Twenty submissions were received.  

On 2 October 2025, the date for the final determination was extended to 18 December 2025.  

On 27 November 2025, the date for the final determination was again extended to 25 June 2026.