The momentum is gaining with the emergence of community groups forming throughout Victoria and holding smart meter public meetings, the latest being in Frankston which attracted over 150 people!
Don’t forget to write a submission in response to Energy Safe Victoria’s (Draft) report Safety of Advanced Metering Infrastructure in Victoria, a report that claims smart meters are “safe”.
The report also claims Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) “consulted extensively with key stakeholders”. Yet ESV did not consult with Stop Smart Meters Australia, despite the fact the report acknowledges we are a key stakeholder!!!
ESV released the draft report to provide an opportunity for public comment to ensure that it addresses the key issues of concern to the community about smart meters.
If you haven’t done so already, Stop Smart Meters Australia encourages you to make a submission and contribute to the final report. The draft report did not adequately deal with all of the key issues of concern.
Submissions should be forwarded to info@esv.vic.gov.au by 15 June 2012.
ESV proposes to release a final report on the safety of the smart meter component of the AMI rollout in June/July 2012. A copy of the draft report can be found at: http://www.esv.vic.gov.au
Stop Smart Meters Australia 
It has been my experience that people who are sceptical on a subject are usually impossible to turn around, and when they have a vested interest they are often corrupted (like some of the electricity owners) and well out of reach!
It would be nice to know more about the facts diclosed at the Frankston meeting about lack of freedom and of rights, in a comment that we can all read and pass on to friends and to the general public!
It should be noted that the report is limited only to safety of smart meters in relation to “high voltage injection”. I had sent them a letter I sent to Powercor and the Minister of Energy and Resources that contained issues relating to safety of wireless RF transmission, privacy of data and vulnerability of smart meters and supporting infrastucture to attack (both foreign and domestic). In response, I was advised that Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) is the regulator for electrical safety, which includes electricity and infrastructure. They have no legislative role in relation to radio frequencies, which are administered by ACMA. So safety conerns relating to RF frequencies used are not in scope of this report as it does not fall within their regulatory framework.
I was advised by ESV that for privacy concerns that Privacy Victoria may be able to help. http://www.privacy.vic.gov.au/privacy/web2.nsf/pages/home
Regarding the focus of this report I received the following response:
“The scope of our review was quite narrow in that it was originally designed to investigate if smart meters were failing safely in the event of high-voltage injection. The main reasons for HV are storms (lightning and wind) and car accidents. The meter failures in the northern suburbs were originally thought to be caused by lightning, so this was the focus of the report.”
Update to the above. I received a response Privacy Victoria indicating that as Powercor is a private sector organisation, privacy concerns should be directed to the Federal Privacy Commissioner.
Their contact details are:
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
The Federal Privacy Commissioner
GPO Box 5218
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Tel: 1300 363 992
Email: privacy@privacy.gov.au
Web: http://www.privacy.gov.au
It should also be noted that the Victorian Privacy Commissioner made general comments about the privacy impacts on smart meters in a submission to the Essential Services Commission in May 2010. The submission can be found here: http://www.privacy.vic.gov.au/privacy/web2.nsf/files/smart-meters-submission-2010
I wonder if the Californian models are exactly the same as ours?
Thursday morning I heard Cr Glen Aitken being interviewed by Jon Faine on ABC radio. Inspite of Faine’s attacks, he remained calm and spoke so well! Thank-you Cr Aitken for being able to articulate so effectively what some of us think, but can’t find the right words for. I then rang Faine on the ‘open line’ to share my story of disabling symptoms from my neighbours’ smartmeters, just to be told I was ‘absolutely hysterical’! He was quite rude and seemend very threatened by what I had to say. I wonder why? Can’t understand. By the way, isn’t making up one’s mind before informing oneself the very definition of prejudice?
esv<> need to acknowledge the Dissasterous Failure of the PG&E SMART METER ROLL-OUT …Failure in California!..,.where they are now Rolling BACK all of the SMART METERS to the recognized safe ANALOG METERS…QUESTION why is the Victorian Government not acknowledging the dangers that have been Clearly recognized in the USA…to me this is very irresponsible…ANY COMMENTS?
So grateful for Frankston meeting. The speakers were so informed we learnt more in one night than we have heard in last few years. Our lack of freedom and rights were highlighted as well as the dangers of the Smart meters. We have sent our letters off to the appropriate people