NEWS FLASH...

Optus has withdrawn their application to install the mobile phone towers at 228 Gladstone Road!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this outcome!!!!

Thank you everyone who attended our meeting on Sunday!

Please mark in your diaries our next meeting:

Community protest meeting Sunday 17 June at 11am

Here’s a brief synopsis of the meeting on Sunday:

·         St Ita’s Principal, Maureen Thomas, spoke eloquently about her concerns for the children and staff working at the school, and the community action group has her full support.

·         Dr Lisa Bohlscheid, a medical practitioner and concerned resident, spoke on the health implications for children and residents.

·         A representative from the No Towers Near Schools Group, Anna, gave us an overview of how the Bardon/Rainworth battle was won and how important it is for us to pull together as a community and not to give up – as this is what Optus wants!

·         Our local Councillor, Helen Abrahams, and State Member, Jackie Trad, both briefly addressed the meeting, from a Council and State Government perspective.  At the level of local government, our petition is to argue that the facility is not “low impact”.

·         At State Government level, a delegation is going to try to gain an appointment with the Minster for Housing & Public Works (Bruce Flegg) as soon as possible as the lease on the Dept of Housing building has not been completely finalized.  This is the Minister with the power to stop the lease process.

·         The Federal Member, Kevin Rudd, sent a representative along to the meeting also.

Thanks to all these speakers as well as Lindy Johnson, who chaired the meeting, and Andrew McInally, who gave an overview of the situation to date.

A community protest meeting is scheduled for Sunday 17 June at 11am.  Details are to be confirmed, but it is likely attendees will march down to the Department of Housing complex and back to the school.  Media will be in attendance, so please let everyone know and ask them to come along and support us in saying NO to Optus!!!

We have emailed everyone who gave their email address as being willing to help, with the aim of organizing people into teams according to their skills/background/interest.  Anyone who wants to help but has not received an email please contact us at duttonparkcommunity@gmail.com.