Telstra plan to cut phones will cost lives

PUBLIC phones within the local community may be a thing of the past with phone giant Telstra informing Kiama Council they are considering the removal of another five public phones between Kiama and Gerroa.

In a letter to council, Telstra advised that the five phones located in Fern Street and Pacific Avenue Gerringong, Terralong and Tingaria Streets Kiama and Stafford Street Gerroa, had been earmarked for removal and council and the general public had three months to make any comment before a final decision was made on their future.

The letter also said the phones had been selected for removal based on either low patronage or usage over time, complaints from the local community, ongoing cost of maintaining and repairing vandalism or the increased uptake of alternative technology.

Kiama councillor Nerissa Bradley has expressed her concern at the decision, asking council to write to Telstra, Federal Member for Gilmore Joanna Gash and Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce to express concern at the decision.

The removal of public payphones is certainly a growing and alarming trend, she said.

Telstra has a duty to the Australian people to provide this much needed facility. I am not sure if they realise how many people actually rely on payphones to get by.

Ms Bradley said the payphone on Pacific Avenue outside the Gerringong Surf Club would put the communitys safety at risk if removed.

People do not take mobile phones to the beach, you take the bare minimum when you are going swimming, she said.

If this phone box is removed and there is an incident at the beach then lives could be placed at risk

If no body is patrolling the beach and the bowling club is closed you could be faced with a considerable hike to the nearest house.

A lot of the houses around here are holiday houses so that provides another dilemma.

When you are dealing with accidents at the beach you generally do not have too long to get help.

President of Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club Bruce Mackie agreed with Ms Bradleys comments, saying the public phone outside the club performed many functions for the community.

We would certainly like to see the phone box stay certainly from a safety aspect first and foremost however there are other valuable reasons as well, he said.

Obviously if we are not here it is pretty important there is a way the relevant authorities can be contacted as soon as possible and a public phone is a great way of doing that.