AUSTRALIAN HAMS CHALLENGE HIGHER FEES ON STATE LANDS

Amateurs in New South Wales are troubled by what they believe are prohibitive fee hikes recently put in place for access to Crown Land.

Calling the situation “unsustainable” for amateur repeaters and other equipment installed there, the president of the Goulburn & Southern Highlands Amateur Radio Society has written a letter to ham clubs around the state, urging members to contact their members of Parliament.

In his open letter to the clubs, Pete Chatwin, VK2PET, the radio society’s president, noted that new or continued access to elevated Crown Land sites for repeaters and towers could cost clubs as much as AU$20,000 per annum. Pete said that hams need to substantiate their own clubs’ financial hardship by forwarding examples to Steph Cooke, member for Cootamundra and Shadow Minister for Crown Lands.

Pete wrote: [quote] “It is important that we provide genuine, practical examples of how these costs are affecting clubs across NSW.” [Endquote] He said that groups in rural areas as well as those providing emergency communications and training, rely on robust functioning networks that include these sites.