A Cottles Bridge landholder has called for Telstra cables to be clearly marked on property sale documents, after digging up a communications link he said he didn’t know was there.
Dr Dennis McCurdy said he wanted to plant a trufferie and run goats on his 12 hectare block, on the northern outskirts of Melbourne.
He recently ripped one of the paddocks, to plant chestnut and oak trees to grow truffles.
He said he accidently cut Telstra communications cables, just inside his property boundary; the corporation then attempted to charge him $1000 to replace them.
“If we had dialled before we dug, we would have known - but why would I know to dial before I dug, on my own private property, when I don’t have any signage out there ?” Dr McCurdy said.
“I contacted Telstra and challenged the $1000 bill for the damaged line; in that note I outlined there was no evidence, or warning, there were lines on my property.”
He said a vendor declaration – a Section 32 – should clearly tell prospective buyers there were cables on agricultural land.
“It would be good to put it on the section 32 – there are Telstra lines, on your land, dial before you dig,” he said.
The cabling was initially laid parallel to a road, up to 30 years ago.
He said the lines were laid only 250-300mm deep, whereas in agricultural land they were supposed to be buried at twice that depth.
Telstra had also told him cables might not neccesarily be where they were marked on its maps.
Dr McCurdie said he also asked Telstra to relocate other lines on his property, only to be told it would cost between three and nine thousand dollars.
”I am amazed, as this relocating of about 20 metres and the other section that needed finding, repairing and relocating was less than 30 metres – the reason for the extra cost is Telstra does not do it, they subcontract it to others and charge them a fee for the ‘joy',” he said
Dr McCurdy said it appeared it had initially been too hard to install the lines on the bush reserve, between the road and fence line.
“My understanding was it was easier to do it in the paddocks, rather than where all the trees were,” Dr McCurdy said. The new cabling – on the other side of the boundary fence - was now marked clearly, but he said there had been no signage, when he moved onto the property.
“For sure, if it is an emergency service, I have to pay, but you shouldn’t be paying three times the amount or nine times the amount, to do the job,” Dr McCurdie said.
Telstra did not respond to Stock and Land before went to press.
