The Mobile Carriers Forum (MCF) has launched an investigation into local government development application fees for telecommunications towers in Queensland following reports from members that the Sunshine Coast Regional Council was charging carriers over $19,000 – just for the right to apply for development approval.

For proposals including new poles and towers that are designed to supplement or enhance mobile network coverage, the mobile carriers including Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Hutchison need to apply to the local Council for development approval. In return for the application fee the Council will engage with all stakeholders including nearby property owners during this process. Council will then make an assessment of the merits of the proposal, before finally deciding to approve or refuse the application.

Other Councils in South-east Queensland charge base fees ranging from $4000 to $6000, which are high by national standards, but until now the carriers have reluctantly agreed to absorb these fees. For an application in the same development class in Victoria or New South Wales a base fee of between $500 and $1000 is required.

Mobile Carriers Forum National Chair Bob Joice said a base fee of over $19,000 just to apply to Council presents a potential “road block” when such an investment is required even before construction has commenced. Mr Joice said such fees were well beyond any reasonable justification. “We recognise that Queensland Councils need to recover some costs for processing development applications. Generally cost recovery is a delicate balance between competing considerations including efficiency and equity – but clearly some Queensland Councils have been unable to strike that balance”.

MCF Program Manager Matt Evans said MCF research shows that some Councils in Queensland are applying development application fees that discriminate against telecommunications infrastructure as a class of development, potentially to the detriment of Council’s long-term economic development objectives. “The imposition of fees this high has little regard for the value consumers place on quality mobile network coverage and the substantial contribution made by the industry to productivity gains in South East Queensland”.

The MCF will continue to engage with Councils in Queensland in an attempt to evaluate the reasonable costs associated with processing a Development application, with a view to Councils amending their schedule of application fees in 2009/10.