Say NO To Smart Meters

MEDIA RELEASE by the Casey & Cardinia Smartmeter Awareness Group

Typical Smartmeter in Victoria

The AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) was approved by the Brumby Government and now the public are paying for it. Roll out costs to Consumers are planned to continue until 2028, and thanks to previous legislation, consumers have been paying for the AMI on their electricity bills since the beginning of 2011, regardless of whether they have a Smartmeter or not. With the introduction of the new Time of Use tariff consumers bills are increasing in some cases by 50% and you still have to pay for power for the microwave meter to record and transmit RF!

Apart from rising costs, there are many people who have experienced acute physical distress and social upheaval after Smartmeters have been installed in their locality.  With pressure from the electorate, an independent Consultant was engaged by the present Government to measure microwave radiation emissions from the Smartmeters.  But no independent Consultant has been engaged to research and report on Health Effects from the Smartmeters, or Saturation Levels of the RF grids on humans and the environment. Antennas on poles, towers and Smartmeters are all part of an invisible grid system.

Besides the Electricity and Telecommunications network, Water and Gas are other utilities which are planned to be communicating with RF Smartmeters within an exponentially accumulating microwave grid network throughout the State.  Developing babies and children, who it has been demonstrated by scientists are extremely vulnerable, are being forced to participate in this invisible smog of microwaves in an unregulated and untested trial.

The Government is standing by the ‘safe’ limit from ARPANSA which is arguably much higher than eminent world scientists proclaim as safe, especially for children. The Copenhagen Resolution endorsed by Scientists in 2010 substantially acknowledged the dangers of microwave radiation, asked for official warnings for the general public, and safe alternatives to wireless technology.  Additionally, The World Health Organization has classified wireless radiofrequency emissions as a possible human carcinogen in May of this year, placing it in the same category as lead and DDT. Some Countries, with pressure from concerned residents, have now banned the Smartmeters.

With big questions hanging over the safety of these microwave emissions, Energy Minister O’Brien has still stated “there are problems with the Smartmeters…..but safety is not one of them.”

With so many people experiencing health problems in relation to Smartmeter RF microwave radiation throughout their homes and the environment, residents are not content to believe the story that there are no safety issues with these Smartmeters.

Smartmeters will be used by Energy Companies to remotely monitor and control individual Residents’ usage of appliances, they can over-ride your control of  home appliances.   The system can also be hacked into by those with a bit of technical knowledge and a laptop.  With remote surveillance over the microwave grid, Residents privacy rights cannot be guaranteed, nor can the accuracy of readings.

With no public consultation prior to the roll out, there are many alarming factors becoming apparent with the Smartmeter technology concerning house fires, rising costs, privacy concerns and very damaging health problems.    Many Residents Groups have now been set up to spread awareness of the emerging issues surrounding the Smartmeter roll out.  Our Group is based around the Casey /Cardinia district.

Concerned Residents do not want to be FORCED to accept  RF emitting Smartmeters on their homes. We are supposed to live in a democracy.

More information about these alarming issues needs to be made available, and unless Residents seek prudent actions from the Government, and act on advice from independent Researchers who do not have a vested interest in the Utility Companies, these issues will not be satisfactorily addressed.