What if two electricians give different advice?

It happens, usually over whether a room is a patient area or how much of an existing room has to be upgraded. Ask each of them to explain how their advice lines up with AS/NZS 3003 and, for anything that triggers an upgrade, which part of Section 6 they are applying. A clear answer names the clause; a vague one is a reason to ask again.

For a second opinion, go to the person who signs rooms off. In Victoria that is an M class licensed electrical inspector, and in New Zealand a registered electrical inspector; elsewhere, the regulator on your state’s page can say what the law requires, though it will not design the room for you. New Zealand’s RNZCGP FAQs (July 2026) give the same advice: ask each electrician to explain how their recommendations align with AS/NZS 3003 and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations, get a second opinion from a registered electrical inspector for big costs or building changes, and ask Energy Safety at WorkSafe if it is still unclear.

The classification is the practice’s decision, not the electrician’s. Many disagreements come down to an unclear room use, which is settled once each room’s use and the equipment applied to patients there is written down.