General News
28 August, 2025
Growing concerns
A LACK of respite aged care options, poor roads and fears a large telecommunications tower could loom over Noorat were among the issues raised when South West Coast MP Roma Britnell visited Terang.
Ms Britnell met with constituents at the Little Acorn Cafe last week to hear their concerns regarding issues impacting the Terang and district community.
Among the issues discussed was the recent announcement Solstice Energy will no longer supply gas to Terang through its compressed natural gas network, in a move which will impact 171 residential customers and one business.
“It’s quite a challenge because the transition to electric from gas cylinders is expensive even though people have been told they’re going to get financial assistance – it’s not nearly enough to cover the cost,” Ms Britnell said.
“When we’re in a cost of living crisis, what are people supposed to do?
“It’s just not adequate.”
Ms Britnell said the lack of aged care respite options had continued to present challenges since the closure of May Noonan Aged Care Centre in 2023, forcing members of the Terang community to choose between not accessing services at all or having to leave their community.
“One constituent said they believed the lack of local aged care options was akin to a form of elder abuse – forcing people way from their hometowns and families, some of whom themselves are no longer able to drive to visit,” Ms Britnell said.
“It’s something I’ll take up with the minister because I don’t think the minister in Melbourne realises how important it is for communities like Terang, a vibrant community with a great support system.
“Some people have been in these communities for 80-odd years and they’re being removed and effectively having their families torn away from them.
“It’s something which is nothing short of cruel so this is something I’ll raise with the minister as I feel it could quite easily be fixed – it’s not even expensive to fix and is much more expensive for the government to not fix it.”
Ms Britnell said roads had continued to be a point of concern for residents across the region.
“The roads will never not get a mention,” she said.
“In the last few weeks we have had a visit from the minister for Roads and Road Safety, who went back to Parliament and boasted in the chamber that she’s fixed the Mackinnon’s Bridge Road.
“I went out there and, sure enough, there’s massive potholes.
“She’s boasting about the good work being done fixing much of Terang-Mortlake Road between Terang and Noorat, but she’s using that to say the roads in south west Victoria are fantastic.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so shocked in my life – it was insulting to the community – maybe they can lie to themselves because nobody out here believes the roads are good – they’re concerned and nervous because it’s beyond dangerous now.”
The plan for telecommunications giant Telstra to locate a 30-metre macro cell tower at the Telstra exchange in Noorat, directly beside the Presbyterian Church, was also an issue raised.
The plan was originally for the tower to be located atop Mount Noorat to boost mobile phone reception across Noorat and Glenormiston, receiving more than $700,000 in taxpayer funding under the Federal Government’s Regional Connectivity Program.
Telstra, which at the end of June boasted to shareholders its $2.34 billion annual profits for 2025, has said locating the tower on top of Mount Noorat would be too expensive.
While Corangamite Shire councillors voted against a planning permit for the tower at this week’s Ordinary Meeting of Council, a VCAT battle is among the options which could follow.
Ms Britnell said she would work with Member for Wannon Dan Tehan and impacted residents to push back against the plan.
“It does seem a bit strange to put a tower at the bottom of a hill rather than at the top,” she said.
“We all know communications towers need height and we’re a bit sick of being treated as second class citizens.
“If it needs to go at the top of Mount Noorat then that’s where it needs to go – not everyone is lucky enough to have a hill to put it on.
“It makes no logical sense, just economic sense for a company that can afford it. We should stand proud and fight against it.”
Ms Britnell said she enjoyed the opportunity to hear from residents about the issues which impact them, regardless of if those issues are at a local, state or federal level as there was strength in numbers.
“We can mobilise to say we’re a powerful community if we band together,” she said.
“There are so many examples where we can do really well – look at the CFA standing together and saying they won’t take the imposition of increased tax when they should have already been servicing our communities and emergency services.
“That’s part of paying your taxes – so we’re seeing it doubled because the state wants to double dip, and the CFA are doing a great job standing up against it.”