How to Abolish Your Mains Gas Connection

Common Steps to Abolish Mains Gas Connection, and What Differs by State and Gas Distributor

Last Updated: 2026-09-16

Key Takeaways

Gas abolishment is the permanent removal of the gas service to your property. It is the only request that ends the daily gas supply charge for good.
A temporary disconnection or a closed gas account leaves the connection in place. To stop paying gas supply charges, ask the gas distributor to disconnect gas permanently.
The gas distributor does the abolishment work. The request route differs by distributor: most take the request through your gas retailer, and some accept it directly.
Every gas appliance must already be replaced or removed before abolishment.
The abolishment request asks for your MIRN or DPI, so have the full identifier ready.
Abolishment is permanent. Mains gas later means a new connection, at new-connection cost.

Step 1 — Check Gas Disconnection vs Abolishment Before You Ask

This guide is for homes that are now all-electric and want to end the mains gas supply for good. Gas abolishment is the request that removes the gas service permanently, and it is how you disconnect gas permanently.

The daily gas supply charge is the fixed amount a gas bill charges for each day the property is connected, whatever amount of gas you use. For a home going all electric, gas disconnection alone leaves that connection in place.

Temporary disconnection: the gas distributor stops the gas supply and usually leaves the meter and pipes in place. It does not end the daily gas supply charge for good.
Abolishment: the gas distributor removes the meter and cuts off the service pipe at or near the gas main. This ends the daily gas supply charge for good.
Closing your gas account: your gas retailer ends your contract. The connection stays on the gas network until the gas distributor abolishes it.

Abolishment is permanent. If you want mains gas again later, the gas distributor treats the request as a new connection, at new-connection cost. If you are unsure whether you will need mains gas again, do not ask for abolishment yet.

If you rent, you usually need the owner's consent before you ask for abolishment. In a strata building, you usually need the owners corporation's consent as well.

Step 2 — Replace or Remove Every Gas Appliance First

Abolishment ends the gas supply to every gas appliance at the property at once. Before you ask for it, every appliance that uses mains gas must already be replaced or removed.

Gas appliances to check

Cooking: gas cooktops and gas ovens.
Hot water: gas storage and gas continuous-flow water heaters.
Space heating: ducted gas heaters, wall furnaces, space heaters, and gas log fires.
Other gas points: for example, an outdoor gas bayonet, a gas barbecue on mains gas, or a pool or spa heater.

Ask a licensed gasfitter to disconnect each gas appliance and make the internal gas pipework safe. Licence names and rules can differ between states, so check what your state requires. Keep any paperwork that the gasfitter gives you.

Step 3 — Find Your Gas Distributor and How It Takes Requests

Your gas distributor owns the gas pipes and meters in your area, and it does the abolishment work. Your gas retailer is the company that sends your gas bill. A gas bill usually names the gas distributor, often next to the gas faults and emergencies phone number. The request route differs by gas distributor:

State or territory	Gas distributor	How to request abolishment	How the distributor sets the price
Victoria (parts)	AusNet Services	Through your gas retailer	Publishes a fixed residential fee
Victoria (parts)	Multinet Gas	Directly to Multinet, by its request form or service desk. Multinet asks for proof that you own the property or that it is vacant.	Fees depend on the work that the site needs
Victoria (parts)	Australian Gas Networks (AGN)	Directly to AGN	Ask AGN for the current cost and timing
New South Wales (most of the state)	Jemena	Through your gas retailer	Publishes a standard residential fee
ACT	Evoenergy (uses the term "permanent disconnection")	Through your gas retailer	Publishes a basic fee and an urgent option. Complex sites get a quote.
Queensland	Australian Gas Networks (AGN)	Through your gas retailer	Quotes each request
Queensland	Allgas	Through your gas retailer	Ask your gas retailer for the price
South Australia	Australian Gas Networks (AGN)	Through your gas retailer, or directly to AGN	Quotes each request
Western Australia	ATCO	Start with your gas retailer	Check ATCO's published charges
Tasmania	Tas Gas Networks	Through your gas retailer	Price on application

Routes and pricing methods are as at 16 September 2026 (subject to confirmation). Check your distributor's own website before you lodge the request.

Some regional New South Wales towns have a different gas distributor, so confirm the distributor named on your gas bill before you follow the Jemena row.

If your gas distributor is Jemena in New South Wales or Evoenergy in the ACT, your gas bill may call the identifier a DPI. If the bill prints only the first 10 characters of the DPI, the DPI checksum digit calculator finds the 11th character before you contact your gas retailer.

Try our DPI Checksum Digit Calculator Tool

Step 4 — Have Your MIRN or DPI Ready

The abolishment request asks for the MIRN or DPI. A MIRN and a DPI are the same identifier under two names — DPI in NSW and the ACT, MIRN elsewhere. The identifier belongs to the gas delivery point to abolish, and it does not change when you change gas retailer.

Where to find it: your gas bill prints the MIRN or DPI, usually with the supply or account details.
10 or 11 characters: the full identifier is 10 characters plus a check digit, 11 in total. Some bills print only the first 10 characters.
If a form asks for 11 characters: use the MIRN checksum digit calculator, or in NSW and the ACT the DPI checksum digit calculator.
Meter serial number: the number printed on the meter itself is a different number. Gas customers frequently enter it by mistake on forms that ask for the MIRN or DPI.

Try our MIRN Checksum Digit Calculator Tool

For a general overview of the identifier, see what a MIRN is, or in NSW and the ACT, what a DPI is. All our free gas identifier tools are on the MIRN and DPI tools page.

Step 5 — Ask for Gas Abolishment and Confirm the Cost

Contact your gas retailer or your gas distributor, as the table in Step 3 shows. Ask them to permanently disconnect gas supply to the property, and use the word "abolishment" in the request. If your distributor uses another term, such as "permanent disconnection", use that term as well.

Information to have ready

Property details: the property address and the name on the gas account.
Identifier: the MIRN or DPI from Step 4.
Ownership or consent: proof that you own the property, or the owner's written consent, if the distributor or retailer asks for it.
Appliance status: a statement that every gas appliance is already disconnected.

Questions to ask before you agree

Cost: what is the gas abolishment cost for this site, and can extra site work add to it?
Timing: how long does the distributor expect the work to take?
Billing: does the charge appear on your final gas bill, or does it come as a separate invoice?
Access: does someone need to be at the property on the day?

Costs vary by distributor and by site, so check your distributor's own published schedule for the current figure.

Timeframes also vary. Multinet aims to finish within 20 business days after it receives all required documents and payment, as at 16 September 2026 (subject to confirmation). Evoenergy offers an urgent option that aims to finish within 20 business days, as at 16 September 2026 (subject to confirmation).

Step 6 — Prepare for the Distributor's Work on Site

The gas distributor, or a contractor that works for it, does the work at the meter and at the gas main. The gas main is the distributor's pipe under the street or footpath. The service pipe carries gas from the gas main to your meter.

What typically happens on site

Gas meter removal: the crew removes the meter assembly.
Service pipe made safe: the crew cuts and caps the service pipe at or near the gas main. This work can need a dig in the street or footpath.
Site restoration: the crew fills and restores the dig site.

How Jemena and Evoenergy Describe the Work (Technical Detail)

Jemena isolates the supply at the main in the street, removes the meter, and leaves the service pipe on the property in the ground (subject to confirmation). Evoenergy cuts and caps the service pipe at the gas main, removes the meter assembly, and disconnects the redundant pipe underground (subject to confirmation).

Step 7 — Close the Gas Account and Stop Paying Gas Supply Charges

Abolishment and account closure are separate actions, so do not assume that the abolishment closes your gas account.

Confirm with your gas retailer or gas distributor that the abolishment is complete, and note the date.
Ask your gas retailer to close the gas account from the abolishment date.
Check the final gas bill for the date that the daily gas supply charges end, and for any abolishment charge.
If a later bill still shows daily gas supply charges, contact your gas retailer with the abolishment date and your MIRN or DPI.

Confirm Your Home Is Ready with an Energy Assessment

Abolishment is permanent, so confirm the home is ready before you request it. If every gas appliance is already replaced, an energy assessment can confirm that the home is ready for abolishment and that nothing at the property still relies on mains gas.

If you would rather have a professional turn all of this into a clear, costed plan for your home, find out more about how our Energy Assessments can help you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is gas abolishment? Gas abolishment is the permanent removal of the gas service to a property. The gas distributor removes the meter and cuts off the service pipe at or near the gas main.
What is the difference in gas disconnection vs abolishment? A temporary disconnection stops the gas supply and usually leaves the meter and pipes in place. Abolishment removes the gas service permanently and ends the daily gas supply charge for good.
Does a temporary gas disconnection end the daily gas supply charge? A temporary disconnection does not end the daily gas supply charge for good. Only abolishment ends that charge permanently.
How to abolish gas connection in Australia: what are the main steps? Replace or remove every gas appliance, find your gas distributor and its request route, and lodge the abolishment request with your MIRN or DPI. After the distributor finishes the work, close the gas account and check the final bill.
Who carries out gas abolishment? The gas distributor does the abolishment work, with its own crew or a contractor. The gas retailer manages your account and, for most distributors, passes the request on.
Do I ask my gas retailer or my gas distributor to disconnect gas permanently? The route depends on the distributor, and most take the request through your gas retailer. Multinet and Australian Gas Networks in Victoria take it directly, and Australian Gas Networks in South Australia accepts either route.
Does closing my gas account abolish the gas connection? No. Closing the account ends your contract with the gas retailer, and the connection stays on the gas network until the gas distributor abolishes it.
Can I cancel a gas connection in Australia myself? You can make the request, but you cannot do the work yourself. To cancel a gas connection in Australia for good, ask for abolishment. Only the gas distributor, or a contractor that works for it, does that work. Most distributors take the request through your gas retailer, and some accept it directly.
Why does the abolishment request ask for my MIRN or DPI? The MIRN or DPI identifies the gas delivery point that the distributor abolishes. A MIRN and a DPI are the same identifier under two names — DPI in NSW and the ACT, MIRN elsewhere.
What if my gas bill shows 10 characters and the form asks for 11? The 11th character is a check digit that is calculated from the first 10 characters. A MIRN or DPI checksum digit calculator works it out from the 10 characters on your bill.
Is the gas meter serial number the same as the MIRN? No. The meter serial number identifies the physical meter, and the MIRN or DPI identifies the gas delivery point, so an abolishment request needs the MIRN or DPI.
Can a homeowner remove their own gas meter? No. Only the gas distributor, or a contractor that works for it, removes the gas meter during abolishment. A homeowner or a gas retailer cannot remove it.
How much does gas abolishment cost? The cost varies by gas distributor and by site. Some distributors publish a fixed fee and others quote each site, so check your distributor's current published schedule.
How long does gas abolishment take? The timeframe varies by gas distributor. Ask your gas retailer or gas distributor for the expected timeframe when you lodge the request.
Can I get mains gas back after abolishment? Mains gas can return only through a new connection, at new-connection cost. For this reason, abolishment suits homes that will not need mains gas again.
Can a renter ask for gas abolishment? A renter usually needs the property owner's consent before abolishment. In a strata building, the owners corporation's consent is usually needed as well.
Must every gas appliance be removed before abolishment? Yes. Every gas appliance must already be replaced or removed, and a licensed gasfitter disconnects each appliance and makes the internal gas pipework safe.
What are the AEMC rules for customers who leave the gas network? The Australian Energy Market Commission has made final rules for customers who leave the gas network. Obligations on gas distributors start on 1 October 2026, and obligations on gas retailers start on 1 January 2027.
When does the daily gas supply charge stop after abolishment? The charge usually stops when the gas account closes after the abolishment. Check the final gas bill for the date that the daily gas supply charges end.

Try our
MIRN Checksum Digit Calculator Tool
More Info Use Tool

Glossary

Abolishment: The permanent removal of a gas connection by the gas distributor, usually by removing the meter and cutting off the service pipe at or near the gas main. Gas supply after abolishment needs a new connection.
Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC): The national body that makes and amends the rules for Australia's electricity and gas markets.
Daily Supply Charge: The fixed amount an electricity or gas plan charges for each day a property is connected to the network, whatever amount of energy the household uses. Also called a Daily Connection Charge.
Delivery Point Identifier (DPI): The customer-facing name used in New South Wales and the ACT for the same gas identifier that the rest of the Australian gas market calls a MIRN.
Gas Delivery Point: The single point at which the gas network delivers gas to a property. One MIRN identifies one gas delivery point.
Gas Distributor: The company that owns and operates the gas pipes and meters in an area. It is a separate company from the gas retailer that bills you.
Gas Main: A gas distributor's pipe, usually under a street or footpath, that supplies gas to the service pipes of individual properties.
Gas Retailer: The company that sells gas to the consumer, issues the gas bill, and manages the account. It is a separate company from the gas distributor.
Licensed Gasfitter: A tradesperson licensed by a state or territory to install, disconnect, and make safe gas appliances and gas pipework.
Meter Serial Number: The number that identifies one physical meter, printed on the meter by its manufacturer. It changes when the meter is replaced.
MIRN: Meter Installation Registration Number — the unique identifier for one gas delivery point in Australia. It is 10 characters plus a check digit, and it begins with the digit 5.
Service Pipe: The pipe that carries gas from the gas main to the meter at a property.
Temporary Disconnection: A stop to the gas supply at a property that leaves the connection in place, so that the supply can be restored later without a new connection.

Try our
MIRN Checksum Digit Calculator Tool
More Info Use Tool