NEWS
By Joe Hinchliffe
Telco giant Optus appears poised to build infrastructure on a much-loved near-city park – and local residents are angry that their prized bushland is being threatened by privatisation without the community so much as being told, let alone asked.
Residents were stunned last week by the appearance of four leasing pegs staked into Teneriffe Park, directly next to the park’s entrance on Teneriffe Drive. With little to no feedback since, they fear they may also be powerless to stop the project. In an area of the inner city where high property values make every square metre of land a prized commodity, the park’s three hectares of native bushland provide a sanctuary for both wildlife and for locals, who regularly gather to use the barbecue and playground. It has been lovingly nurtured and protected by community groups for decades and its barbecue and play equipment are regular gathering points for locals.
Teneriffe Bushcare Group meets regularly to regenerate the diverse ecosystems, including dry rainforest, found within the park, and its spokesperson Rodney Chambers (pictured) objects to the fact that locals have been excluded from the discussion. “The issue here is the rudeness of Optus,” said Mr Chambers, a member of the volunteer organisation since its foundation more than 20 years ago.
“They have not consulted anyone and when you ask them what’s going on, they say that they have no plans, they are only in discussions. But they have surveyors out staking out the land, so there is something going on,” he said.
The group and other residents have banded together to get to the bottom of the mystery, concerned that decades of work are to be undone by the development. But they say that until now Brisbane City Council’s Local Asset Service (LAS), which manages local parks, has been unable to satisfactorily explain the presence of the pegs.
Recent inquiries to council have revealed only that the pegs are a part of a proposed piece of infrastructure by mobile phone provider Optus which has also requested that Energex upgrade and relocate an existing streetlight so that it can attach antennas on top of the pole. The development also includes the construction of a shelter area to house electronic transmitters on the park itself.
Although Optus has already staked out a 2m by 3.5m plot of land and removed branches from the area, it has not followed any of the guidelines set out for development on council property, locals claim. The first step requires that the developers approach council’s City Property and Leasing department for approval.
A member of the department has said it is unaware of the Optus proposal and that it was “completely inappropriate” for the mobile company to stake out the area at this point. This should be followed by community consultation. But so far locals have been largely left in the dark.
So far Optus has not responded to any of the community’s inquiries about the details and some of the group are pessimistic about the chances of standing up to the telecommunications giant.
“I’ve looked into the Telecommunications Act,” said long-term resident Peter Milne, “and if they decide to go ahead we can’t stop them.” The Act, passed in 1997 by the Howard Government, included a clause that allowed the construction of telecommunications infrastructure that was deemed “low impact” to proceed without the approval of council or community consultation. The Act stipulated however that even low-impact development had an obligation to “protect the environment” including, amongst others, “eco-systems, people and communities.”
Given the unique nature of this inner city bushland and its significance for the local community there does appear to be grounds on which to challenge the development.
Indeed Council’s City and Property Branch has disputed the classification of the development as being of low impact, which would force Optus to seek council and community approval. Robert Hugall, an electrical engineer and Teneriffe local, agrees with the council that the development would have a significant impact on the neighbourhood. “Even the basic monopoles come with large cabinets that will be completely inappropriate for this remanent of inner-city bushland that local residents have fought hard to maintain and worked hard to regenerate,” he said.
As locals struggle to piece together the facts on what is happening to their community icon, some are willing to work with Optus to make the development genuinely “low impact.” But with the telecommunications giant so far not even deigning a response, they are left with few options.
“I’m not a diehard protestor, said Mr Chambers, “but we've fought these things in the past.”
• Optus had not responded to a request for an interview as this issue of The Independent went to press.
