@Boronia said:
I don’t think the electricity authorities are too keen about unqualified people being in meter rooms, for safety reasons. There is also a security risk from mischievous interference with settings.
Well, they’re not unhappy about it. They tell you how to do it, practically invite you to do it, here:
https://www.ausgrid.com.au/Common/Our-network/Metering/Reading-your-own-meter.aspx
So reading your own meter would seem to be a right that all customers should have. Torrens Title owners have it.
Yes, there is a risk from mischievous (or criminal) interference, and that is why the meter box/room needs to be locked, Torrens or Strata Title.
The dilemma only occurs in Strata Title, where all resident’s meters may be in the same box/room.
Should non-EC owners be denied what others have as a right?
MrPinkCarpet should certainly be given a key. He is an EC member, and was supervising tiling and painting on the common property while the Chairman was away and wanted to turn the power off for safety. Sure, he could have called a licensed electrician to flip the switch off each work day and on again after work, but that would have been expensive.
BTW, a lot of cleaners already have master keys, because they like to turn the lights on in the daytime so they can see what they’re cleaning, or because they’re also responsible for replacing blown bulbs.