{"id":"F2022L00063","name":"Social Security (Essential Medical Equipment Payment – Energy) Specification 2022","slug":"social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-energy-specification-2022","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":441183,"registerId":"F2022L00063-fast-fetch-1775956545785","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Social Security (Essential Medical Equipment Payment – Energy) Specification 2022","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-keywords: \"[SEC=OFFICIAL:Sensitive]\"\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nSocial Security (Essential Medical Equipment Payment – Energy) Specification 2022\n\nI, Anne Ruston, Minister for Families and Social Services, make the following Specification.\n\nDated 21 January 2022    \n\nAnne Ruston\n\nMinister for Families and Social Services\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Forms of Energy\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Social Security (Essential Medical Equipment Payment – Energy) Specification 2022.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument 1 April 2022\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under subsection 917E(3) of the Social Security Act 1991.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Social Security Act 1991.\n\n5  Forms of Energy\n\n1.   Each of the following forms of energy is a specified form of energy for the purposes of paragraph 917E(2)(b) of the Act:\n\n\n1.     Natural gas;\n2.     Liquid petroleum gas;\n3.     Diesel;\n4.     Heating oil;\n5.     Petrol;\n6.      Kerosene.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly the narrow technical function it was designed for: specifying energy types for a payment scheme. It has not expanded beyond its original purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Only 5 short sections total","Single operative provision (section 5) containing a simple list of 6 items","Only 1 defined term ('Act')","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling provision (subsection 917E(3))","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Extremely narrow and specific purpose: simply enumerating eligible fuel types"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument defines which non-electric fuels qualify a household for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment, so people who run life‑saving equipment at home can claim support even when using alternatives to mains power. It names six specified fuels (including natural gas, LPG, diesel, petrol and kerosene), protecting rural and emergency users from being excluded."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument does not change the substantive eligibility framework in the Act; it implements paragraph 917E(2)(b) by listing the specific fuels treated as ‘energy’ (s.5) and sets a commencement date (s.2). It neither adds new categories of recipients nor removes statutory eligibility criteria; its effect is definitional and administrative."},"complexity_factors":["Single-purpose instrument: only defines which fuels qualify as ‘energy’ (s.5).","Very short and prescriptive: six explicit items listed; minimal text to interpret.","Legal cross-reference required: effect depends on reading with Social Security Act s.917E(2)(b) and s.917E(3) (authority and operative effect).","Administrative implications: agencies must verify fuel-type use for payment eligibility — evidentiary and payment-processing burden arises from implementation, not the text itself (ss.3,5).","Commencement fixed: took effect 1 April 2022, so retroactivity/transition questions minimal (s.2)."],"plain_english_summary":"Specifies which non-electric fuels count as “energy” for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment under the Social Security Act (s.917E(2)(b)). It lists natural gas, LPG, diesel, heating oil, petrol and kerosene (s.5). The specification affects social security recipients who use essential medical equipment powered by those fuels by making those fuel costs eligible for the payment. It is made under subsection 917E(3) and commenced 1 April 2022 (ss.2–3)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-energy-specification-2022","history":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-energy-specification-2022/history","analysis":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-energy-specification-2022/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-energy-specification-2022/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-energy-specification-2022/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-energy-specification-2022/documents"}}