The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has released a draft determination to improve the registration and communication processes for Australian households requiring life support equipment.
The draft rule maintains all existing life support protections while enabling medical practitioners to indicate when customers have life-threatening conditions, improving communication with customers, and streamlining registration processes.
AEMC Chair Anna Collyer said energy consumers' safety is paramount, and life support protections play a vital role.
“These are some of our most vulnerable energy consumers - recent data shows more than 225,000 people registered for life support protections. Our changes maintain all existing protections while ensuring energy companies have the information to serve these customers well," Ms Collyer said.
"If you're already a life support customer, you won't need to re-register or do anything differently. You'll continue to receive exactly the same protections. We're simply proposing to update the system to work better - not adding burden to people already managing difficult circumstances."
What's changing
The draft rule proposes several improvements to how energy retailers and networks register and communicate with life support customers:
- Better communication - customers can choose how they're contacted about planned outages (SMS, email or letter) and nominate an emergency contact person to be notified
- Streamlined registration - retailers will manage all registration and deregistration (rather than splitting responsibility with networks), making it clearer who customers should contact. All retailers will use the same standardised medical form
- Regular check-ins – retailers must conduct annual check-ins to ensure customer details remain accurate and life support is still required
- Clearer deregistration - faster deregistration when customers request it, with new penalties for retailers who fail to comply
- Better information for networks - medical practitioners (doctors or specialists) can indicate if a customer has life-threatening energy needs, giving networks information to plan for outages more effectively while maintaining the same protections for all life support customers
Over time, as the new standardised medical form is introduced, existing life support customers and their doctors will have the option to indicate if they have life-threatening conditions.
This information helps energy distributors prepare for and respond to unplanned events. Energy distributors will be required to publish information on their websites about how they use this to support life support customers.
Protections maintained
All life support customers will continue to receive:
- At least four business days' written notice before planned power interruptions
- Protection from disconnection for non-payment
- Access to a 24-hour emergency telephone number
- Information to help prepare for unplanned interruptions
- Ms Collyer said the draft determination responds to a rule change request from SA Power Networks and Essential Energy. The Commission has made a more preferable draft rule that incorporates many elements proposed in the rule change request.
“We've worked closely with Victoria's Essential Services Commission to ensure consistent approaches where possible. The standardised medical form and processes will make access to and providing life support protections clearer for customers, doctors and energy companies across the National Electricity Market,” Ms Collyer said.
"These improvements will help ensure the right information reaches the right people at the right time, particularly ahead of planned power outages when advance notice is critical.”
The AEMC's assessment considered equity impacts to ensure the changes don't disadvantage vulnerable consumers, and address barriers preventing some customers from fully benefiting from energy system protections.
The Commission also recommends governments establish a central register to make things easier for life support customers - particularly when they move house or change energy companies - and to help emergency services, health departments and energy companies work together during crises.
Next steps
The AEMC is seeking feedback on the draft determination until 16 April 2026, with a final decision expected in June 2026.
Life support customers can access backup planning resources developed by the Energy Charter’s #BetterTogether initiative at https://lifesupport.poweroutageplan.com.au
Visit the project page for the draft determination, draft rule and information sheet.
About the AEMC
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) is an independent statutory body that advises Australian governments on energy market rules and conducts reviews of the energy sector. The AEMC's work is guided by the long-term interests of energy consumers - including reliable, safe and affordable energy. This work forms part of a broader package of gas market reforms underway across governments and market bodies.
Media: Jessica Rich, 0459 918 964, media@aemc.gov.au