Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 24 Mar 1998

Vol. 488 No. 7

Written Answers. - Telecommunications Regulations.

John Gormley

Question:

108 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if her attention has been drawn to the recent change in mobile phone mast regulations in both Australia and New Zealand; and the scientific evidence used for the basis of this change. [7482/98]

Minister for Public Enterprise (Mrs. O'Rourke)

There have been no recent changes in mobile phone mast regulations in either Australia or New Zealand. Both the Australian and New Zealand standards for limiting public exposure to radio frequency emissions from mobile phone base stations transmitters are set at two watts per square metre. Mobile phone masts operate many hundreds of times below this limit.

Reference to new Australian regulations have their origins in a resolution adopted by the New South Wales Local Government Association at its annual meeting in October 1997. Under the 1997 Australian Telecommunications Act, greater responsibility was placed with state and local governments concerning the planning and siting of telecommunications infrastructure. The former immunity from state and local government laws enjoyed by the Australian national telephone company was substantially removed.

Of the around 1,000 local councils in Australia I am aware of eight which have sought to establish siting policies for mobile phone towers. Five have recommended phone towers be sited at distances ranging from 100 metres to four kilometres away from homes. The Australian Telecommunications Act requires phone companies to consider local policies but does not make them binding. However, unless a local council provides consent no phone tower construction can proceed without appeal to a higher level body.

The danger of a ‘free for all' situation developing in local council policies has led to the Australian Communications Authority, ACA, being given powers under the 1997 Telecommunications Act to mandate health standards for radiocommunications transmitters and receivers. One of the matters the ACA is now considering is the mandating of the Australian standard AS 2772.1. This is the standard which recommends the two watt per square metre exposure limit at mobile phone frequencies.

Planning legislation in New Zealand is similar to that now in force in Australia and predates it by a number of years. On 2 February 1995, Christchurch City Council attached its own conditions to the siting of a mobile phone tower. These conditions were more stringent than the national regulations applied in New Zealand generally and were appealed to the New Zealand Planning Tribunal.

The tribunal held a hearing in November 1995 at which substantial scientific and medical evidence was presented and discussed. In March 1996 the tribunal presented its report and gave permission for the development to proceed. In its determinations, the tribunal set a condition that the strength of the radiofrequency field generated by the phone tower and measured at any dwelling house was not to exceed 0.02 watts per square metre. This limit was set to reflect an exposure approximately twice the highest predicted actual exposure of the public to the phone tower on the basis of information provided by the phone company.

I understand the health advisory authorities in both Australia and New Zealand continue to endorse the two watt per square metre exposure standard and, in recent information circulars, continue to discount any risk to health alleged to result from the operation of mobile phone towers.