Yes Michael, I hear what you are saying and I often hear the same thing from many people.
Fact is - I don't make the rules regarding who should or shouldn't do Electrical work.
If one isn't Licensed, then one is doing the work illegally. Secondly it puts those involved and potentially others at risk of electric shock or electrocution. It voids all insurance claims if found the work was done by someone unlicensed if something goes wrong.
That is the truth of the matter, argue all you like with Workcover or Dept of Fair Trading.
There are some serious cases out there, where homes are not protected by RCD and MCB Circuit protection, I know exactly what is out there, Mate - I've seen it all, and let me tell you, most homes still using ceramic fuse bases, with the old meters still in wooden control cabinets are a time bomb ticking. Anyone still in a home like this should get the wiring inspected and circuit board up-graded as soon as possible.
Homes as I've just described, have usually had extra GPO's and Lighting added to the circuit without any thought to loads on that circuit, no calculations of impedence would have been made, Earth impedence is usually always ignored. Soldered earth connections from newly installed circuits are often not soldered just twisted and taped.
Let me ask you this Michael. Do you know on your own home, how much current you are pulling on any of your Powered GPO circuits (assuming it is a standard 10 amp circuit) if something is plugged into each of them and the item is switched on and running? Lets just forget about the wattage of any of those items at the moment. Let me at a guess - say your circuit would be 10 - 20 % be overloaded, and would have tripped the breaker, maybe long before you would have time to plug into all the GPO's on the circuit. (It's a good test to do.) That is fine, the CB did it's job. It protects (not) the appliance, but the cable the circuit is run in. If people do not think about the loads of extra GPO's and just add them anywhere they please, they are at risk of something. Everytime the cable is heated to it's current protected limit, it deteriorates it's insulation capability, until it cannot tolerate anymore and fuses or starts to burn the timber it is laid on.
Proper testing of circuits with clamp meters and RCD testing along with Megger Ohm testing of circuits is not something the DIY would know about, or would even want to know about. All he wants is extra powerpoints next to his Television for all the fancy Home entertainment equipment he just went out and bought.
Electricians usually do make good money, and that is quite ok in my mind, so do Solicitors, Property Developers, Stokebrokers and a host of other professions. Don't knock people making a good living, just because you think you can save a few dollars doing something you know you can do (no matter how small a job) If it's Electrical and you do this yourself and are not Licensed to do it. Then it is done illegally.
Go and enrol at Tafe and do a short coarse Connect/Disconnect License if you are handy or inclined to work on the stuff. It will open your eyes to many things you would not have considered, and it will keep things legal. But it won't allow you to run new installations, just work on existing stuff.
It takes only one nosey neighbour to see you messing around in the Electrical box, and one phone call from him/her, and you then have a fine of up to 25k coming your way.
Don't think it doesn't or hasn't happened, because it does and many DIYers in the past lay testiment to that.
