Ryde liberal councillors

Sunday 8 August 2010

Telecommunication Tower Problems in Ryde

Clr. Roy Maggio’s letter to the editor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday 8 August 2010

Telecommunication Tower Problems in Ryde

Clr. Roy Maggio’s letter to the editor

 

 

 I have been contacted by communities around North Ryde and Ryde  that have suddenly discovered a telecommunication tower or some other telecommunications equipment is about to be installed next to their homes, shopping village or schools, without their prior knowledge or consent.

 I had several  emails in complete outrage of the community consultation process  “I feel empty and powerless,” as The 1997 determination Act  for telecommication providers are bulldozing our communities and therefore removing the communities democratic right to have a say , without any consideration . “The value of their homes will of course will plummet and I am extremely worried about the health effects.”

There are countless other examples, as hundreds of new  towers, or masts attached to are being constructed all around councils , next to homes  ,crown land , schools, and communities are fighting it neighbourhood by neighbourhood, street by street.

And the question everyone is asking is, why is this happening, and how has it been allowed to happen.

 

I mean we need a Development consent just to alter a veranda on our house, so how come telecommunications companies can construct towers right next to people’s homes, without needing a Development consent or even having to inform neighbours who will be profoundly affected by these towers.

The erection of towers all over the City of Ryde  is a new phenomenon, sparked by two and now three mobile operators scrambling to establish competing telecommunications networks . But it has also been sparked by the progressive liberalising of the laws and regulations around the construction of telecommunications equipment . The act needs to be reviewed and ensure these telecommunications companies require to apply to council for a consent to erect a tower.

Telcos want to be able to roll out their new technologies rapidly without interference from annoying community groups, so they lobbies government to change the law to enable them to install telecommunications infrastructure around Australia as of right.

 

 

All of these telecommunications structures are changing the face of our communities, towns and cities and constantly increasing the electromagnetic radiation we are exposed to – so that most of us, especially in cities, are exposed to a constant cocktail of mobile networks.  As a result more and more people are becoming electromagnetically sensitive yet  does the Australian  standard even recognise this condition. Headaches, fatigue, dizziness, memory problems are just some of the symptoms people suffer when they become allergic or sensitive to EMR.

All of this has been allowed to happen without anyone  assessing what cumulative effect all these increased EMR’s may be having on human health – particularly on children’s health.  Or even measuring what is the cumulative EMR we are being exposed to.

 

There is no requirement for new technologies to be tested before they enter the market to see if they are safe. Nor is there any requirement for telcos to

take health effects into account when they install a new  tower next to where you live or work.

Surley the emerging evidence about the chronic long term health effects of mobile phones and EMR, and there is growing acknowledgement that prolonged exposure to EMR is likely to increase the incidence of tumours after a period of ten or more years even at very low levels.

Even extremely low frequency electromagnetic radiation from  towers, mobile phones and antennas can damage DNA.

The consequences of prolonged exposure to children, whose nervous systems continue to develop until late adolescence, is unknown at this time. But the body of evidence suggests that biological effects and health effects can and do occur even at low exposure levels—levels that can be thousands of times below public safety limits.

 

 

 

What has become abundantly clear is that it’s a standard to protect the telco industry, not our interests. It isn’t designed to be protective of human health and it does not take into account chronic, cumulative exposure, only short term acute effects.

Our lax hands off approach is no doubt partly due to the fact that the government meets in secret and has representatives of telcos and other industry representatives with vested interests on it, but very few community representatives.

That’s why we urgently need to review our national standard and develop a new one based on the precautionary approach, and which protects human health – not telcos.

Make as much fuss as possible – embarrass telcos and remind them that the communities they are riding roughshod over are comprised of their customers.

It’s my observation that if a community is organised, telcos will step back and start to consult.  If it isn’t, they will just go straight ahead and erect their towers and equipment.

 

 

I have strong objection to what they are forcing on our community .They should require telcos to inform the community of any intentions to construct a site in their neighbourhood, and inform them why a particular site has been chosen and what alternative sites have been looked at.

They should not be permitted to locate new towers near residential homes or educational facilities.

They should set up working groups comprised of local members of the community, Council representatives and representatives of the Telco, to find a site that is least offensive to the community. And a mechanism to enable owners and occupiers to challenge the proposal if agreement cannot be reached.

We must also set up a genuinely independent committee to oversee EMR.

As well as updating our radiation exposure standards, we must develop a national database which would enable citizens to identify location of transmitters in their area.

 

We must also insist on routine compliance testing of every transmitter site in Australia  and measure our cumulative exposure to EMR. We need progressively tightening up controls to better protect communities. It’s time for us here in the city of Ryde to fight Back .

 

Clr Roy Maggio

East Ward :Deputy Mayor City Of Ryde.

Authorised by Clr Roy Maggio