31 May 2009

Mobile mayhem in Palerang

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times has a hilarious story on efforts by Palerang Shire Council to make the ACT Government look competent and actually evince sympathy for Telstra.

The council has twice rejected Telstra’s application for a permanent mobile comms tower. So the telco reasonably assumed they didn’t want mobile services and switched off their temporary mobile tower.

Oh what’s that? Suddenly you like being able to make phone calls? Suddenly the radiation and the un-sightliness doesn’t worry the whingeing nimbys?

But, having twice rejected the application, Palerang Council can no longer approve it so they’re having to beg the NSW Land and Environment Court to over turn their own decision.

Telstra have turned back on the mobile tower pending a decision of the court.

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You’ll find the internal compliance people would kibosh anyone stupid enough to propose this Peter.

ant said :

peterh said :

all Telstra need to do is find a farmer who doesn’t object to a tower on their land. Council doesn’t need to know, and the farmer would get rent paid to them by telstra.

Wouldn’t they have to put in a development application? Which the council can then kybosh.

not if they stick it in a back paddock. give it some wheels and it could be a borer.

peterh said :

all Telstra need to do is find a farmer who doesn’t object to a tower on their land. Council doesn’t need to know, and the farmer would get rent paid to them by telstra.

Wouldn’t they have to put in a development application? Which the council can then kybosh.

all Telstra need to do is find a farmer who doesn’t object to a tower on their land. Council doesn’t need to know, and the farmer would get rent paid to them by telstra.

Clown Killer9:56 am 01 Jun 09

Whilst this certainly highlights’ the gross incompetence of the members of Palerang Shire, it seems odd to me that the local council was put in the position of actually having to make a decision on something like this.

I was under the impression that the legislation or licensing conditions or regulations or whatever Telstra operates under requiring them to provide telecommunication services to all Australians pretty much meant that they could pop up a tower wherever was considered most suitable.

The rates soared when the new shire was established, and they keep applying for exemptions from the state gov’t so they can put them up more than the cap. So they can build skate parks, presumably. I’ve got 10 acres and now pay over a grand a year… for nothing. We get no services, and don’t want them either! That’s why we’re rural. But they have to get the money from somewhere to do things in the towns.

Burra tried to secede (and is still trying). People less than a km from me come under Qbn City Council’s wing. Qbn City Council is a competant council that knows what its role is. Palerang is riven by competing interests… the editor of the Bung Mirror has been fighting a long campaign against conflicts of interest in the council. They certainly waste money, and then put the rates up.

Do I hear banjos playing?

An acquaintance of mine is paying two thousand four hundred dollars, yes, that is $600 per quarter, rates on a small, 450ish square metre, residential block on the edge of Braidwood. I find that my quarter acre in the delightful west Belconnen ‘burbs doesn’t come near that.

Palerang Shire = clusterf*@k

Gold. And still they blame Telstra! Sol’s crew were a crazy bunch of gouchos, but even they can’t be blamed for this nuttiness.

Palerang Council is a debacle. It improved slightly after the last election, but the shire is basically unsustainable, and there’s this constant pull between teh rurals, and the people in the towns. The Bungendore and Braidwood crowd in particular seem very noisy and needy and our rates seem to go on paying for skate parks and other nonsense that the rural people have no interest in or liklihood of using. It’s a mess. The old Yarrowlumla shire worked better, it paid its way, and so the very competant NSW gov’t got rid of it and established so many shires that are insolvent.

So many dumb decisions are made. They put down guttering in some part of Bung, and then had to tear it up again! The council (well, most of it) attacks its own paid shire staff, adn the most amazing allegations are made weekly. The Bungdenore Mirror is worth a read (it’s online) if anyone wants to see teh shambolic moving mess the shire is.

The two greens-aligned councillors are sensible, but they are fighting an uphill battle.

barking toad7:54 pm 31 May 09

Reality bites

Proof that Grass Roots was based on fact, though even Col Dunkley would of avoided this mess I’m sure

I think you mean “…would have avoided this mess…”, or maybe even “…would’ve avoided this mess…”

Proof that Grass Roots was based on fact, though even Col Dunkley would of avoided this mess I’m sure

Props to TESTRA on this one.

Having read the rather thrilling Business Paper No 7 [ http://www.palerang.nsw.gov.au/council/7237/10022.html ] which informed the Extraordinary Meeting, I’m surprised anyone in the area uses mobile phones.

I now imagine the entire area to be like the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

I never thought I would feel warmly towards Telstra!

rosebud said :

Hahahahahaha! Hilarious. There should be an award for the best worst decision a local government makes in a year.

+1
Best laugh I’ve had today!

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy3:20 pm 31 May 09

What a bunch of silly old dodderers.

Hahahahahaha! Hilarious. There should be an award for the best worst decision a local government makes in a year.

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