framer;
Your post in reply to mine has haunted me in that you are essentially right and I have been just another rating collector. I say this without malice because I now see what I did to gain (the then), class 3 rating was to do the simulator work associated with it and collect a NVFR, class 4, along the way with the SE night flights.
Despite rarely using it to flight plan except for late arrivals it gave me little real need of the paperwork, it's just a VFR rating that extends the EOD to me.
In the US a VFR pilot can fly day or night and there is no such rating.
It's either VFR or it's not regardless of time of day.
Perhaps Australia could unburden itself of more red tape with a simple night check- and for cross country's add on Navaid endorsements to his day VFR.
However you simply can't have a bit each way.