Wrong reading

CITY of Greater Dandenong’s plan to refuse smart meters on council property could be against the law.
On 13 December, the Star reported that councillor Peter Brown had moved the plan – which included getting legal advice – and questioned whether the meters were “an electrical form of asbestos”.
The move came after several residents concerned about the health impacts of the meters contacted councillors asking for help.
But a Department of Primary Industries (DPI) spokesman told the Star that under Victoria’s Electricity Distribution Code, “property owners who want to be connected to the grid are legally required to allow their distribution business access to the company’s meter to undertake the upgrade”.
The council’s engineering services director Bruce Rendall said “officers are investigating this matter and will present a report to council shortly”.
All households and small businesses are to receive digital smart meters, which record electricity usage and automatically send data to electricity suppliers, making estimated quarterly bills and manual meter readings redundant.
“Victorians can be confident that smart meters are safe, and Victoria’s chief health officer has confirmed this,” the DPI spokesman said.
“The communications system associated with smart meters involves lower electromagnetic exposures than many other household devices, such as mobile phones and baby monitors.”
The spokesman said that from the middle of this year, customers would be able to opt-in to new flexible pricing plans that will provide greater access to off-peak pricing.
“Already, some companies are offering web portals that give customers detailed information about their energy usage, helping them reduce their bills,” he said.
At the 10 December council meeting, Cr Maria Sampey said she had received calls from residents about “intimidation tactics” from installers, and adverse health effects and flickering lights following installations.
“They don’t know whether it’s going to catch fire or whatever. They’re scared,” she said.
Cr Matthew Kirwan said there was no credible evidence that the devices caused any health problems. He and Cr John Kelly voted against the motion.
Visit DPI website www.smartmeters.vic.gov.au for more information about the smart meter program.