We have reviewed Victoria’s life support rules to strengthen life support protections for customers in Victoria.
Review of life support protections in Victoria
- Release of consultation paper31 July 2025
- Submissions close4 September 2025
- Draft decision released5 March 2026
- Information session19 March 2026
- Submissions for draft decision close16 April 2026
- Final decision released21 September 2026
Overview
Overview
We have reached a final decision on our review of life support rules in Victoria. The updated rules were informed by feedback from interested parties on the draft decision paper.
As a result of this review, we have updated the rules in the Energy Retail Code of Practice, the Gas Distribution Code of Practice and the Electricity Distribution Code of Practice.
These new rules will strengthen protections for life support customers in Victoria. They will also contribute to more accurate and up-to-date life support registers. This will ensure that emergency agencies have the information they need to contact life support customers during prolonged power outages.
For current life support customers
The new rules keep existing life support protections in place and do not require existing life support customers to take any action to stay on the register.
Retailers will contact customers as part of the new yearly check-in to inform if any action is required from customers.
See our new Factsheet - Better Protections for Life Support Customers in Victoria for more information.
Final Decision
On 21 September 2026, we released our final decision on the Better Protections for Life Support Customers in Victoria.
Additional resources including the draft codes and amending instruments can be found in the resources tab.
Better information for emergency agencies
- A new life-threatening condition system flag, which will support emergency agencies triage life support customers during prolonged power outages. This will be used exclusively during emergencies and will not reduce current life support protections.
Changes to life support processes
- Retailers will be exclusively responsible for registration, medical confirmation and deregistration of life support customers.
- Retailers will be required to deregister customers when they request to be deregistered or when life support equipment is no longer needed.
- Deregistration for lack of medical confirmation will remain at retailers’ discretion. However, retailers will be required to record the reason for maintaining a customer without medical confirmation in the register.
Retailers to maintain an up-to-date register
- Retailers must conduct a yearly check-in with customers to confirm their information is up to date and to follow up on medical confirmation.
Improved communication requirements
- Customers will be able to nominate a secondary contact person to receive life support communications.
- Customers and their secondary contacts can nominate their preferred method of communication
Ability to reuse the medical confirmation form
- Medical confirmation will be valid for four years.
- Retailers will be required to retain a copy of the medical confirmation and provide this to customers at their request.
- Customers will be able to reuse the form when they change retailers or move to a new address.
New Standard Medical Confirmation Form
We are preparing a new standard medical confirmation form to ensure that energy businesses, customers and medical practitioners are clear on the information requirements to register a life support customer in Victoria.
The medical confirmation form is being developed in partnership with the Australian Energy Regulator and will be accepted as medical confirmation across Victoria and all jurisdictions in the National Electricity Market.
Implementation and monitoring
1 January 2027 – 30 November 2027
Transitional check-in with life support customers by retailers.
1 December 2027
All reforms will be implemented in full.
We will monitor the effectiveness of this package of reforms to inform future reviews.
Final decision and draft decision resources
Final decision
Final decision annexes
Draft decision
On 5 March 2026, we published a draft decision paper to seek stakeholder feedback on key issues in this review. The draft decision paper outlined the proposed reforms that we were considering to improve the accuracy of life support registers and enhance protections for life support customers. The paper was open for stakeholder feedback between 5 March and 16 April.
Draft decision annexes
Submissions to the draft decision paper
Information session
On 19 March 2026 we held an online information session on the proposed reforms outlined in the draft decision paper.
A recording of the session is available below.
The information session and the content of the presentation are available for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal or other professional advice. The information session provided a summary of the proposed reform to life support rules that the commission is considering implementing in Victoria. For full insight of the changes, we recommend that you read the draft decision paper.
While the commission has made every reasonable effort to provide accurate information, you should obtain professional advice if you have any specific concerns before relying on the accuracy, currency or completeness of this information.
Consultation paper
Consultation paper
On 31 July 2025, we published a consultation paper to seek stakeholder feedback on key issues in this review. The consultation paper outlined the proposed reforms that we were considering. The paper was open for stakeholder feedback between 31 July and 4 September.
Information session
On 14 August 2025, we held an online information session where we provided an overview of the proposed reforms to Victoria’s life support rules.
A recording of the information session is available below:
The information session and the content of the presentation are available for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal or other professional advice. The information session provided a summary of the proposed reform to life support rules that the commission is considering implementing in Victoria. For full insight of the changes, we recommend that you read the consultation paper.
While the commission has made every reasonable effort to provide accurate information, you should obtain professional advice if you have any specific concerns before relying on the accuracy, currency or completeness of this information.