Australian Consultations re: 5G spectrum deployment and telecommunications legislation responses
From Janobai Smith
If anybody is interested in reading the submissions re the the proposed changes to telecommunications legislation they are here: https://www.communications.gov.au/have-your-say/consultation-possible-amendments-telecommunications-carrier-powers-and-immunities   (It took ages for the Dept of Communications and the Arts to publish them.)
Although there were many submissions from Councils, I couldn’t see any mention of health effects in these (at least in the ones that I looked at).
However, Queensland Treasury has brought up health and safety risks, resulting from the location of telecommunications infrastructure on land!! Although EMF risk isn’t mentioned, health has received top billing. They also point out that by making the telecommunication companies role easier, that this would result in a transfer of costs from telecommunication carriers to other parties.
The Property Council of Australia also brings up health, although it looks like it is just in the context of Work Health and Safety: “Consultation with our members resulted in the unanimous view that the aggressive, dominant behaviour displayed by telecommunications carriers (carriers) in their dealings with building owners sees owners bearing unreasonable health and safety risks and costs due to carrier activities on their premises.”
There is now another consultation, which closes 13 October, on the 5G issue.
ACMA is pushing forward on 5G spectrum planning and has proposed “an accelerated process for considering releases in the millimetre wave spectrum for 5G broadband”.
The consultation paper is available here: https://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/spectrum-for-broadband-in-mmwave-bands  Hopefully, there might be some responses raising EMF issues?
Janobai
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