Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019

The electricity supply to an electrical installation must be controlled on the main switchboard by one or more main switches that control the whole of the electrical installation.

Despite subregulation (1), the following electrical equipment is not required to be controlled by a main switch—

consumer's mains;

equipment for metering or the control or protection of metered or metering circuits owned by a major electricity company, an interstate electricity supplier or a retailer;

a service protective device owned by a major electricity company or an interstate electricity supplier;

any ancillary equipment, measuring equipment, supply isolating device and associated wiring that are required to be connected to the supply side of the main switch or switches, provided that the wiring and equipment are confined within or on the switchboard;

equipment, such as voltage sensing equipment, associated with a safety service that is connected on the supply side of a main switch in accordance with Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules;

equipment, such as voltage sensing equipment, associated with an alternative supply system that is connected on the supply side of a main switch in accordance with Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules;

fault-current limiters;

surge diverters installed to protect consumer's mains or main switchboards;

an over-current protective device of the kind required by these Regulations to be installed at the origin of a private aerial line;

consumer's terminals.

Despite subregulation (1), an electricity supply to an electrical installation that is supplied by a generation system contained within that electrical installation may be controlled by a main switch on a switchboard that is not the main switchboard.

In subregulation (2)(d), a supply isolating device means a load break switch or circuit breaker that—

is installed on the supply side of the main switch or switches of an electrical installation; and

is only intended to be operated by an authorised person (within the meaning of the Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules) and is labelled for operation by authorised persons only; and

will be locked in the closed position during normal operation of the electrical installation; and

will not be able to be opened or operated to the open position while locked in the closed position (other than automatically in response to an electrical fault); and

is capable of being locked in the open position; and

in the case of a circuit breaker, achieves discrimination between it and the next protective devices on the load side of the circuit breaker within the electrical installation.