Community
1 May, 2025
Noorat rallies against proposed mobile tower site
TELSTRA is facing vehement community opposition after lodging an application to construct a new tower in the heart of Noorat.
A community meeting was held in Noorat last week with more than 20 residents in attendance to voice their concerns surrounding a proposed new mobile tower with incumbent Wannon MP Dan Tehan.
As Western District Newspapers had reported at the time, Telstra awarded $708,300 in May 2022 to deploy a new macro cell mobile site to improve mobile phone coverage across the Noorat area under round two of the Regional Connectivity Program.
The funding was, at the time, warmly welcomed as phone reception across Noorat and Glenormiston has long posed issues for residents.
But the joy has since turned to frustration after Telstra recently has lodged a permit application to Corangamite Shire Council seeking to place the macro cell and a tower at the Telstra Exchange on Glenormiston Road – located beside the Noorat Presbyterian Church.
Those in attendance raised concerns the plan is not in line with the original pitch from Telstra, which would have seen the macro cell site located at the existing NBN tower on top of Mount Noorat.
Speaking with those in attendance Corangamite Shire councillor Geraldine Conheady, herself a Noorat resident, said bringing increased service to Glenormiston through the tower being located on top of Mount Noorat had been an important aspect of the original funding.
“Even in some of their own materials they were saying the intention was they would mount the equipment on the NBN tower on top of Mount Noorat,” she said.
“That would be the best outcome for Noorat and Glenormiston.
“Telstra, I think, have brought this to a point where I think they’ve made their decisions on an outcome which works for them.
“I think they’re being reticent to work with the Noorat community for the right outcome.”
Many in attendance last week voiced their concerns stemming from a disastrous community engagement session which Telstra had hosted on March 25.
Multiple attendees shared their stories of feeling everyone had been spoken to separately, at a Telstra employee’s insistence, which resulted in misunderstanding or contradictory information being provided in a bid to prevent growing concern the project wasn’t progressing as intended.
Mr Tehan, who had originally announced the funding as a commitment under the Morrison Government, spoke with Western District Newspapers following last week’s meeting and said Telstra’s application had disregarded the wants of the community.
“Telstra was allocated funding to put a new phone tower in Noorat, which was allocated before the 2022 Federal Election,” he said.
“Telstra are now putting a planning application with Corangamite Shire Council to have the tower at the Telstra exchange.
“The community, and common sense, says it would be much better on Mount Noorat.”
Mr Tehan said he plans to work with the community to present a case to Telstra, advocating for the unit to be placed at Mount Noorat.
“What we want to do is present to Telstra a compelling case for the tower to be located on the mount,” he said.
“We’ll go away, do our homework and present to Telstra both the community support for the tower going on the mount, and also all the associated reasons for it to be located there such as there being three-phase power to the existing towers on the mount.
“The community is prepared to have discussions with Eastern Marr to make sure there are no cultural heritage issues, and then to work and discuss with NBN as to why we should get shared services up on the mount.
“This is what the community wants, and the community at Glenormiston wants that to make sure coverage is maximised.
“Common sense says the tower should go on the mount – now we just need to make common sense a reality.”
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