The association believes that Australia is one of the most regulated countries in the world, with many of the established regulatory regimes at all levels of government intended to protect consumers & public safety.
According to Product Safety Australia, it overseers 44 mandatory product standards to protect consumer safety, with manufacturers having to submit their products evidencing compliance with the relevant standard.
In addition, specific legislation governs compliance standards for Motor Vehicles, Aircraft, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Food, Building & Construction, with standards designed to protect consumer safety & with the onus placed squarely on the manufacturer to demonstrate regulatory compliance.
But not so when it comes to Telecommunications.
As almost everyone would know, 5G communications technology & products are being rolled-out around the world, including in Australia, right now.
Having learnt that council may have been planning to introduce infrastructure that is 5G enabled, the association contacted both council & the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), which cites its purpose as:
“We are the Australian Government’s primary authority on radiation protection and nuclear safety. We protect the Australian people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation through understanding risks, best practice regulation, research, policy, services, partnerships and engaging with the community.”
While council couldn’t or wouldn’t confirm that its planned infrastructure would be 5G enabled, ARPANSA advised the association that:
“At exposure levels below the limits set within the ARPANSA safety standard, it is the assessment of ARPANSA and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation (ICNIRP) that there is no established scientific evidence to support any adverse health effects from very low RF EME exposures to populations or individuals.”
The association also believes that it is important to note that WHO does not perform research nor fund research, while the ICNIRP is currently reviewing its position on the health effects of RF EME exposures.
The association has concluded that ARPANSA may have failed in its primary duty as a regulator responsible for protecting public safety by failing to ensure adequate contemporary standards governing telecommunications technologies & products have been developed & adopted in Australia & also for failing to require telecommunications companies to pro-actively evidence that their technologies & products do not endanger public safety, rather than simply denying that there is any evidence to suggest that they do.
The association believes that just as Australian consumers should not be exposed to medicines, motor vehicles, aircraft, food, pharmaceuticals or chemicals that have not met world class safety standards, they should also not be put at risk by technologies & products that have not demonstrated their safety against similar standards.
Last week, the
Physicians’ Health Initiative for Radiation & Environment (PHiRE) & the
British Society for Ecological Medicine issued a
Press Release to make clear the concerns of medical experts & practitioners from around the world about the negative health effects of escalating
Non-Ionising Radiation (NIR) exposure.
John Richardson
Secretary/Treasurer
Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association
Tel: 0264945669
Email: secretary@begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au
Website: http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au