The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, (today visited) the Cadbury Sportsground at Claremont – site of the latest community battle against a proposed phone tower.
There he’ll meet local residents concerned that a 35m Telstra mobile phone tower is proposed within less than 500m of a children’s sports ground, houses, a retirement village, an aged-care home and the iconic Cadbury chocolate factory.
“What’s happening here at Claremont is an all too familiar story being repeated in suburbs across Australia,’’ Mr Wilkie said.
“A phone tower is proposed in a sensitive location and the local community feels ignored by planning authorities and is left to wage a David and Goliath battle hatched from around kitchen tables.
“We’ve seen it happen in Taroona and Sandy Bay, and now here we go again in Claremont.
“For too long the regulatory regime has been skewed in favour of the telcos and there is an urgent need for legislation to restore the balance.”
Mr Wilkie said the experience in Claremont highlighted the need for Federal Parliament to pass his Private Members Bill that would give communities a greater say on the location of mobile phone and NBN towers.
“This is a problem that is not going away and the current legislation is clearly failing communities,’’ he said.
Mr Wilkie tabled a Private Member’s Bill in September which would see stronger regulations on the placement and design of new towers, improved community consultation requirements and provide an avenue for community members to appeal new tower developments where genuine concerns exist.
Mr Wilkie’s Bill was rejected by a Parliamentary Committee which surprisingly didn’t call community witnesses at its hearings, preferring instead to only hear from the telcos and other tower proponents.
But this is not the end of the matter because Mr Wilkie’s Bill is still to be voted on in Parliament.
Andrew Wilkie MP, Independent Denison
