Telstra confirms payphone removal

TELSTRA has confirmed they will be removing six payphones in the Pyrenees and Hepburn shires.In the Hepburn Shire, phones at Clunes, Hepburn Springs, Kingston and two in Daylesford were earmarked for removal.In the Pyrenees Shire, phones at Amphitheatre, Moonambel, Redbank and Trawalla were on the list to go.Telstra said the phones had consistently dropped in usage, indicating demand for the service was no longer required.Telstra area general manager for south-west Victoria Bill Mundy said they had taken community consultation into account when making the decision."We have retained the payphones in Moonambel and Redbank as a result of the community consultation we did and the representations made to us by the community," Mr Mundy said."In Hepburn we have, for the same reasons, decided to retain the payphone in Daylesford on Camp St."The decision means phones in Clunes, Hepburn Springs, Kingston, Daylesford, Amphitheatre and Trawalla will all be removed.Hepburn Shire Council mayor Cr Bill McCleneghan said he was "most unimpressed" with the decision."The removal discriminates against the poor and disadvantaged and does not contribute to community safety," he said. "Removing a payphone outside a hospital is horrific (Daylesford). Taking away the only payphone in a small town like Kingston is also unforgivable."Pyrenees Shire Council mayor Cr Robert Vance said the community had played a key role in the decision."We got quite a good response from Moonambel and Redbank to retain their phones, but the same couldn't be said for Amphitheatre and Trawalla," he said.It is expected the phones will be removed in coming months.