A dark backing board behind the fuses? Don't drill it
WorkSafe Victoria lists switchboard backing as a typical place for asbestos, including pitch-based boards such as Zelemite, asbestos cement fuse boards and millboard lining in switch boxes. Leave it alone and say so when you book. An electrician generally isn't licensed to remove asbestos, so if the panel has deteriorated or has to come out, a licensed asbestos removalist may be needed, and the replacement must be a non-asbestos panel.
What Melbourne's housing means for your switchboard
Terraces and Edwardian homes
Carlton, Fitzroy, Richmond and South Melbourne terraces date from the 1850s to the 1890s, and Camberwell and Caulfield are full of Edwardian homes. Most went up before homes had electricity at all, so any board in them is a later addition, and it's worth knowing how much later.
Housing Commission and postwar homes
From the late 1940s to the early 1970s the Housing Commission built tens of thousands of houses and flats, including satellite towns at Pakenham, Sunbury and Melton. Boards from that era are pre-1990, which is the asbestos cut-off Victoria's Asbestos Hub uses.
Rentals
At the 2021 Census, 30.2% of occupied homes in Greater Melbourne were rented. Since 25 November 2025, a rental has to meet the switchboard standard at the time it's advertised, not once a tenant complains.
New all-electric estates
Since 1 January 2024, new homes needing a planning permit connect to all-electric networks only. Cooking, heating, hot water and often a car charger all sit on one board, so spare space matters from day one.
What does the Victorian rental standard actually require?
Power outlet and lighting circuits in a rental must be on circuit breakers and safety switches (RCDs, which cut the power fast when current leaks to earth). Consumer Affairs Victoria says that where the board already takes circuit breakers, adding the right components to those circuits can be enough. An old fuse board may need replacing outright, and then every circuit at the board needs breaker protection.
Who deals with the meter and supply in Melbourne?
In Victoria the network, not the electrician, owns the meter. If the upgrade reaches the meter, the meter panel or the supply itself, a request goes to the network covering your street. CitiPower and Powercor accept those through eConnect, from registered electrical contractors only. Jemena takes an Electrical Works Request through its own portal, United Energy uses myEnergy, and AusNet uses EnergyConnect. On Jemena's network, a move from single to three phase up to 100 amps has been a basic connection alteration since 1 July 2026.
New consumer mains, the cable from the supply point to your main switch, count as prescribed work. A Licensed Electrical Inspector has to inspect them within 8 business days, they can't be switched on until that's done, and copies of the Certificate of Electrical Safety go to you, the network and Energy Safe Victoria.
Planning for solar or a battery on a Melbourne board
Melbourne's networks are tightening solar exports. Jemena may set a zero export limit on new or altered systems in constrained spots, and United Energy holds a system with no internet connection to 0 kW export. If solar or a battery is coming, settle the board, the inverter and the network approval together. Switchboards for solar and EV chargers has more.
What a Melbourne switchboard quote should spell out
- Whether the meter, meter panel or consumer mains are involved, and who lodges the request with your network.
- Which circuits get safety switches, and whether that meets the rental standard if you lease the property out.
- How a pre-1990 backing board will be checked for asbestos, and who removes it if needed.
- Spare room for a charger, solar, a battery or an induction cooktop.
- How long the power will be off, including any wait for a Licensed Electrical Inspector.
- The contractor's REC number and the Certificate of Electrical Safety you'll get.
Our take for Melbourne homes
If your house was built before 1990 and still has fuses, we'd replace the board before the next renovation or appliance, not after something overheats. Ask about asbestos at the first visit. Landlords, we'd sort it between tenancies, since a rental now has to meet the standard on the day it's advertised. And whatever you're adding in the next few years, tell the electrician now so the board is sized once.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.