Page 2479 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 22 August 2006
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ACTPLA has decided to rezone a 2.7 hectare site at the water tower next to the Karralika centre. This rezoning decision, which clearly stretches the ridges, buffers and hills caveat in planning, allows the installation not only of the 3G Telstra tower in question, but also potentially more communication towers, either for Telstra or for other telcos. This 2.7 hectare site literally sits 80 metres from the nearest houses. Technically, and in radiation terms, that may not be a problem, but the residents have not had the chance to be consulted beforehand to have those questions answered and to be reassured. This site was previously part of the Canberra Nature Park, so there is another issue. We see 2.7 hectares of what is part of the Canberra nature park simply rezoned without any prior notification, consultation or warning—
Mr Corbell: It is not being rezoned, Steve. You are wrong. It is not being rezoned. The territory plan is not being amended.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MR PRATT: The advice to me is that that site—
Mr Corbell: It is not being rezoned.
MR PRATT: is being rezoned so it has the capacity—
Mr Corbell: There is no change to the land use policy.
MR PRATT: to carry more than one particular tower. I will be happy to discuss that with the minister separately. If he can put my mind entirely at rest, then hallelujah!
Mr Corbell: It is already an allowed use.
MR PRATT: I wait with bated breath.
Mr Corbell: It is already a permitted use.
MR PRATT: The fact is, minister, we are talking about a rezoning and the installation of a tower and the commencement of works where the residents have not been consulted. While the government is not responsible for Telstra, the government does have a responsibility to residents to facilitate proper consultation with all the parties. The minister and ACTPLA are ultimately responsible for that, not Telstra. You cannot blame Telstra if they seek to take a few shortcuts. Could Telstra perhaps have sited this particular 3G tower 200 or 300 metres north of the Karralika centre, higher up on a tree-shrouded ridge out of sight and out of mind and still achieved its technical objectives, or did it not do that because it was cheaper to put it down next to the water tower? These are the sorts of questions that the residents are entitled to ask, and they are asking them, but what we now know is that this decision is a fait accompli. Why did the residents not have the opportunity to ask those questions and to have those questions answered months out?
Mr Corbell: The development application has not been approved, Steve. The development application has to be publicly notified.
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