All of Australia uses 220 volts AC 50 hz and has its own unique 3 pin sockets. If you have come from overseas you will find universal adaptors for
different types of sockets readily available in shops.
110 volt appliances are of no use to you without some sort of transformer.
While it is ok to work on low voltage systems such as 12 and 24 volt, it is illegal in Australia for anyone but a qualified licensed electrician to
work on high voltage systems like the standard 220 volt.
Australia and New Zealand both use the same electrical standards, plugs and sockets and Fiji and New Guinea use the same plug and outlet style.
Argentina uses a similar looking style but the pins are different lengths and the active and neutral pins are reversed.
In Australia a wider ground pin is sometimes used for loads of 15 amps and other variants include 20 amp and 32 amp but these are rarely seen.
The style of plugs in Australia date from 1936 and the AS 3112 formal standard dated from 1990. The standard was updated again in 2000
as the AS/NZS 3112:2000 and yet again in 2004 as the AS/NZS 3112:2004 and again in 2011 as AS/NZS 3112:2011.
Strangely enough the Australian design was based on an American design from 1916 but that design was never standardised in the USA.
Report electricity supply faults in W.A. to:
131 351
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