South West shire hopes to keep vital radio facility on government land

The Shire of Waroona is applying to continue occupying a radio tower far out in the bush that houses its long range radio equipment.

At a council meeting last month, the shire voted to apply for a licence from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions that would allow the shire to continue to use a radio tower at Mount William.

The shire previously had a memorandum of understanding for the joint use of the tower, which expired in 2017 and was never renewed.

The DBCA contacted the shire in January proposing it submit a new application for tower, which will grant the shire occupation rights to continue to house its telecommunications infrastructure there.

Given the tower sits at Mt William and is packed with the shire’s very high frequency radio equipment, it is vital for retaining effective two-way communication between the shire’s vehicle fleet.

The radio towers help fill the gaps where mobile phone coverage is poor, and for shire workers radio contact is also vital for any health and wellbeing check-ups.

If the shire is not able to continue utilising the tower, it is understood it will need to look at an alternative base.