5G opponent Louis Caruana claimed Thomastown residents would be ‘assaulted’ by the 5G radiation piercing their skin

A petition to block the installation of a “disastrous” 5G tower in Melbourne’s north has been knocked back by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

A man has begged a tribunal to block Optus from installing a 5G tower near a Thomastown park, claiming locals would suffer brain damage as a result of the “radiation”.

Louis Caruana launched his legal fight in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in early March after the Whittlesea City Council granted a permit for the telephone tower to be built along Main St.

At a one-day hearing, he alleged the radiation would cause “neurological damage in humans”, arguing it would be a “disaster” for the neighbourhood and the nearby park if the 30m monopole was erected.

Mr Caruana, who was seeking a review of the council’s decision, claimed it would be “complicit in the commission of hundreds of criminal offences” as locals would be “assaulted” by the 5G radiation piercing their skin.

Whittlesea City Council granted a permit for a 5G tower to be built on Main St, Thomastown.

He alleged the “dangerous” radiation would cause people to suffer cellular and neurological damage.

In a letter he presented to the tribunal, Mr Caruana said 146 residents signed a petition saying they did not want the proposed telecommunications facility, which would provide both 4G and 5G, to be located in the area.

“It is our wish that this antenna with 5G/4G be located elsewhere, further south next to (the) freeway or further north (near the cemetery),” the letter read.

“Dead people cannot be hurt by radiation.”

But tribunal member Picha Djohan on Thursday rejected Mr Caruana’s application for review, ruling it was “misconceived” because he did not have a right to seek review of the use of the land.

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, issued a statement in January 2020 when conspiracy theories began to emerge about 5G technology and reassured the community that it was safe.

“There is no evidence telecommunication technologies, such as 5G, cause adverse health impacts,” he said.

“This position is supported by health authorities in Australia – such as the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) – and around the world, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“Mobile phone networks and other wireless telecommunications emit low-powered radio waves also known as radio frequency electromagnetic energy (EME).

“This is different to ionising radiation associated with nuclear energy or use in medicine.”

More than $9m was invested over four years to assure the public of the safety of telecommunications networks, including new 5G mobile networks.