A RESIDENT says Bathurst Regional Council will be liable if any harm results from the rollout of the 5G network in Bathurst.
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Margaret Sramko has added her name to the growing list of residents who are concerned about the impact 5G could have on human health and the environment.
She addressed councillors during public forum at Wednesday night's meeting, urging them to do more research into the technology.
In recent months, she has done her own research into 5G and said what she had learnt was "of great concern".
"I'd like to reassure council that I am not anti-technology, I enjoy and recognise the need for technology and its convenience, productivity and benefits, however, we must also advocate for safe technology as it is scientifically proven that the benefits of 5G do not outweigh the risks," Ms Sramko said.
One of her main concerns is that there have been no long-term scientific studies done on how safe it is.
Further to this, she fears that the standards set by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) are too lenient to protect people and that the agency hasn't done enough studies.
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Ms Sramko also criticised council for its lack of research, saying she had only been provided with two resources, one of which was ARPANSA, when she contacted council.
"If blind trust is put in ARPANSA we are not doing our due diligence," Ms Sramko said.
"Will the responsibility of poor health of Australians be placed on ARPANSA in the future? No, it wont be.
"So who is liable? You are, Bathurst council is liable and not only just as an organisation, you [councillors] are also individually held liable."
She implored council and councillors to do further research and make decisions to protect Bathurst citizens.
"I'm a well-informed person who cannot ethically sit back and not publicly express my concern," she said.
"I hope with every cell in my body that you each do your due diligence regarding the 5G rollout, because not everything is going to be okay."
In December 2019, Bathurst council voted to acknowledge the ARPANSA as the authority responsible for determining safety standards associated with 5G technology, and to also acknowledge the community concern.
The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) CEO, Chris Althaus, has previously told the Western Advocate that there is no need for people to be alarmed about 5G and the telecommunications industry itself holds no safety concerns.
