“Only licensed electricians can change light bulbs in Australia”
MYTH (NOW)! This WAS technically true in Victoria before 1999. Order in Council G17 (1999) specifically exempted "changing a light bulb and removing a plug from a socket" from licensing requirements.
The History: This WAS technically true before 1999. The Electricity Safety Act made all electrical work by unlicensed persons illegal, with no specific exemption for light bulbs. What Changed: Order in Council G17 (1999) specifically exempted "changing a light bulb and removing a plug from a socket" from licensing requirements. Current Law: You CAN legally change standard light bulbs yourself. You CANNOT: - Install new light fittings - Replace light switches - Do any work involving fixed wiring - Change hardwired fixtures Energy Safe Victoria Official Statement: "I can confirm that it is not illegal to change a light bulb in Victoria... changing a light bulb and removing a plug from a socket were specifically exempted."
Where the story gets it wrong
It is sometimes claimed the Electricity Safety Act 1998 'always exempted' changing a light bulb — it did not. The Act made unlicensed electrical work illegal without naming any bulb carve-out; the specific exemption for "changing a light bulb and removing a plug from a socket" arrived by Order in Council G17, gazetted 29 April 1999 (and lives on today in the Electricity Safety Exemptions Order 2020, Schedule 6 item 33). The genuine confusion is scope: Victoria really does require a licensed electrician for almost all other electrical work, including replacing light fittings, power points, switches, or anything involving fixed wiring — just not for swapping a bulb.
- Current status
- Unknown
- Penalty
- Up to $22,000 for actual illegal electrical work; $600,000 and 5 years imprisonment if work causes death or serious injury