Hawkesbury City Council is calling on Telstra to finish the job and build the Berambing mobile base station that it successfully applied for permission to build.
Following the 2019-2020 bushfires, Council acted as a conduit to deliver grant funding from the Federal Government to Tesltra under the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program, to enhance mobile phone coverage in the Hawkesbury and improve communications during natural disasters.
From July 2021 when it received the grant, Council worked closely with Telstra to undertake community engagement to secure suitable locations for mobile base stations across the Hawkesbury, a number of which have been successfully delivered. Some of these projects encountered varying challenges in identifying and securing suitable locations, including Berambing.
On 4 December 2024, Telstra lodged a development application for the proposed base station at Berambing and the Hawkesbury Local Planning Panel, approved the development on 17 April 2025.
Despite the period for the initial grant program lapsing in March 2025, Council worked with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) to secure fresh funding, pending the commitment of Telstra by 20 March 2026, to build and operate the tower. Correspondence from Telstra has indicated that it no longer supports the mobile base station, arguing Berambing is adequately served by other nearby base stations including a newly constructed tower at Mt Tomah.
Hawkesbury City Mayor Les Sheather urged Telstra to recommit to the project now that the funding was available.
"Council is not a telecommunications provider, nor does it have any statutory ability to act as a telecommunications carrier. The provision of such services lay squarely with Telstra," Mayor Sheather said.
"There is no such thing as mobile coverage that is too good, especially in an emergency. Berambing residents will happily tell you that mobile coverage in that area is insufficient.
"I urge the Federal Government and Telstra to return and finish the job here in the Hawkesbury and provide the infrastructure, and peace of mind, our residents need and deserve."
