The Australian gas industry has been evolving continuously for over 100 years, from the introduction of manufactured towns gas and propane, to the conversion of Australia’s reticulated supply to Natural Gas.
In the early days, gas appliances were pretty basic and it was difficult to convince the Australian community that they were safe and offered many benefits. Positive promotion with proper technical backing was needed to convince the community that gas is safe and that gas appliances are safe to use. As a result, the National Gas Association (NGA) and the Australian Gas Institute (AGI) were formed in 1925 and 1932 respectively to fulfil these roles.
NGA was primarily focused on promotional activities for the gas industry and AGI was a scientific body providing technical expertise to the industry. The discovery of rich reserves of oil and natural gas in Bass Straight provided Victoria with an opportunity to become energy self sufficient, however, it was recognised that the full economic benefits of this prize could only be realised if consumers across Australia were satisfied that, first and foremost, Natural Gas was a safe fuel to use in their homes and that it was a reliable, efficient and economical fuel. To achieve this, the NGA and AGI merged to form the peak national industry body known as The Australian Gas Association (AGA).
AGA was set up as a national not-for-profit, membership association and its membership comprised hundreds of companies from all over the world, including gas producers and suppliers, manufacturers and importers of gas products and other affiliate companies.