Telstra has worked closely with the council to assist in their management of this development.

We have met the council’s representatives on numerous occasions on-site to discuss different solutions that would allow for any cost savings to be passed on to the council and to ensure that we could agree on a price that was acceptable and affordable.

All of this was achieved to the satisfaction of the council. For the story headline to convey that “Telstra names its own price” is a gross misrepresentation of the amicable process that has taken place.

As a result, what was intended to be a report on the discussions at a local council meeting has instead conveyed a sentiment that Telstra has unfairly imposed a significant financial burden on the local community.

That could not be further from the truth.

That some individual councillors do not approve of covering the costs must be noted in the context that it was the council that asked Telstra to move the infrastructure as part of their works and it is the obligation of the council to cover those costs — this point was noted at the council meeting and is exactly why the council worked with Telstra and budgeted accordingly for this element of the project.

It is also commonsense that if you ask any service provider to remove or relocate their infrastructure that they are the best body to undertake that process.

The work is complex and we want to ensure that any service disruption to our customers is kept to a minimum.

Telstra has not simply “named its own price” — and we appreciate the opportunity to make this point clear for local readers and our customers.

— STEVE TINKER,

Telstra area general manager Central Victoria and Sunraysia