Fixing pinched light cable

[FrodoOne]

Does Australia/NZ define a "power" circuit and/or a "lighting" circuit?

"Power" Circuits. 20 A for "Socket Outlets" (2.5 mm²)
"Light" Circuits, 10 A for 'Lighting fixtures". (1 mm² or (now, often) 1.5 mm²)

(If a "luminaire" is connected to a "Power" circuit, the wiring must be rated for 20 A (2.5 mm²) and a "note" at the Circuit Breaker indicating that a "luminaire" is also connected to that "Power" circuit.)


A "not so typical" Australian "Switchboard" (CU) - since "Over Voltage Arrestors" also are installed. (Not "common" but a good precaution.)

 

[EFLImpudence]

"Power" Circuits. 20 A for "Socket Outlets" (2.5 mm²)
"Light" Circuits, 10 A for 'Lighting fixtures". (1 mm² or (now, often) 1.5 mm²)

Ok.

Similar to UK and not really definitions but arbitrary specifications and numbers when other arrangements would be equally satisfactory.

Not arguing with you but -
Does lighting - and cooker or heater circuit - not use power?

Is it forbidden; i.e. never done; to have a 16A OPD on a socket circuit?

(If a "luminaire" is connected to a "Power" circuit, the wiring must be rated for 20 A (2.5 mm²) and a "note" at the Circuit Breaker indicating that a "luminaire" is also connected to that "Power" circuit.)

That seems a bit silly and pointless. Well, not seems; is.

A luminaire; say 3W to 100W; needs special considerations whereas a 25W fan does not.

So it is the 20A and 2.5mm² which makes the circuit a power circuit; not the sockets connected to it.


As I said, these are totally arbitrary pronouncements with no basis in electrical principles.


You may as well do as is done here in my flat - identical 16A, 1.5mm² "power" and "lighting" circuits.

 

[FrodoOne]

"Power" is just a Short Word "designation" (indicating a "Power Outlet"/"Socket Outlet" circuit, as opposed to a "Light" circuit).
"Wall Oven", Air Conditioner" etc. are (or may be) "Hardwired" devices - with no pluggable "Socket Outlet"

(Some "Wall Ovens" may be provided with an appropriate 15 A or 20 A Socket Outlet behind them, but these are not considered as being "User Accessible" Outlets.
It just makes things easer when any such "Wall Oven" may need replacing.
Any such new/amended circuits are now (since 2018) required to be provided with RCD "protection".)

Is it forbidden; i.e. never done; to have a 16A OPD on a socket circuit?

While one wonders what an "OPD" may be (possibly an "Overload Protection Device")
16 A Circuit Breakers are available and used under certain circumstance.

The following is a Table concerning this:-
.

Generally, Australian Electricians just use 2.5mm² for "Power" (Socket Outlet) radial circuits rated at 20 A and 1.5mm² for "Light" Circuits rated at 10 A.
(1 mm² was used in the past, for Light Circuits - my house is wired with it - but the cost difference is now so small between 1mm² and 1.5mm² cables that it is hardly worth the effort for professional electricians to now stock/use both!

While 1mm² T&E cable is available with only Solid Line and Neutral conductors, the Earth conductor in such cable is "Stranded".
Above 1mm² - to 2.5mm² - cables with both Solid or Stranded "Line and Neutral" conductor cables are "available".
However, no "practicing electrician" buys any "solid conductor" cables - since they are more difficult to work with, bend, straighten etc.

Hence none but electrical "Supply Houses" actually stock such items!
While it may not be clear in the images shown in https://www.bunnings.com.au/search/products?q=electrical+cables&sort=BoostOrder&page=1 the "stranded" nature of the available Line and Neutral conductors is so and you can look this up on other Australian Electrical Supply sites.
(Also, copper conductors in all Australian cables seemed to be "annealed" [softened] - which I doubt is the case with samples of the "cables" which I have obtained from the UK, Europe and the USA!)


Re: - (If a "luminaire" is connected to a "Power" circuit, the wiring must be rated for 20 A (2.5 mm²) and a "note" at the Circuit Breaker indicating that a "luminaire" is also connected to that "Power" circuit.)
and your comment
"That seems a bit silly and pointless. Well, not seems; is." -
I hope that you are not suggesting that the rating of any "wiring" should be rated at less than the capacity of the Circuit Breaker - but just that the need for "notation" seems "silly" - to you.

 

[EFLImpudence]

"Power" is just a Short Word "designation" (indicating a "Power Outlet"/"Socket Outlet" circuit, as opposed to a "Light" circuit).

So, as in the UK; just meaningless words.

Ideally illustrated by my identical circuits for both.

While one wonders what an "OPD" may be (possibly an "Overload Protection Device")

Of course.

16 A Circuit Breakers are available and used under certain circumstance.

So the 20A requirement is not mandatory.

Generally, Australian Electricians just use 2.5mm² for "Power" (Socket Outlet) radial circuits rated at 20 A and 1.5mm² for "Light" Circuits rated at 10 A.

Much the same as UK tradition without thought...but they don't have to.

(1 mm² was used in the past, for Light Circuits - my house is wired with it - but the cost difference is now so small between 1mm² and 1.5mm² cables that it is hardly worth the effort for professional electricians to now stock/use both!

Yet a needless waste of 50% more copper.

Re: - (If a "luminaire" is connected to a "Power" circuit, the wiring must be rated for 20 A (2.5 mm²) and a "note" at the Circuit Breaker indicating that a "luminaire" is also connected to that "Power" circuit.)

Why does it need a note?

and your comment
"That seems a bit silly and pointless. Well, not seems; is." -
I hope that you are not suggesting that the rating of any "wiring" should be rated at less than the capacity of the Circuit Breaker - but just that the need for "notation" seems "silly" - to you.

I am not suggesting that - although there are certain instances where that is acceptable.

What I am saying is silly and pointless is stating a rule for adding a luminaire to a "power" circuit when that is no different than adding any other low Wattage appliance such as an extractor fan.
In these cases other electrically satisfactory methods such as fusing down and using smaller cable is perfectly normal.-