Australia Post at the crossroads
Your chance to tell the government which postal services matter most.
Technology has changed the way we live, affecting all parts of the community from individuals to social groups and corporations.
Jobs and entire industries have disappeared as “smart” devices revolutionise the way things are done.
One enterprise facing huge challenges is Australia Post, which is expected to register a loss this financial year – its first since 2015. Projections indicate that further, deeper losses will eventuate if changes are not made.
Australia Post, and the Postmaster General’s Office before it, has served us well since federation in 1901, connecting people over vast distances by the prompt delivery of letters and packages.
But advances in technology — from telegrams to telephones, faxes, emails and instant messaging — have fundamentally changed the postal service’s business model and maybe even its raison d'être.
The volume of letters being sent through traditional mail has dropped significantly in recent years, but Australia Post is obliged by law to deliver a daily postal service to 98% of households.
The current cost of a stamp — $1.20 — does not reflect the actual cost of delivery.
Meanwhile, the boom in internet shopping has created greater demand for parcel delivery – an area in which Australia Post competes with private operators.
With this in mind, the federal government has begun public consultation on the future of Australia Post.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the government wanted broad feedback before it started considering various options.
She said the consultation “will ensure Australia Post maintains the long-term financial stability it needs to continue supporting small businesses and providing essential community services — particularly in our rural, regional and remote communities”.
Legacy stamp issue
Australia Post is celebrating the centenary year of Legacy Australia with the release of a commemorative stamp issue featuring the iconic Legacy torch symbol.
The stamps the stamps and associated collectables, comprising a first-day cover, four booklets of 10 x $1.20 stamps and four maxicards, sheetlet pack, postal numismatic cover and magnetic badge prestige cover, are available for purchase at post offices.
Legacy, which cares for 40,000 beneficiaries through its network of 3,400 volunteers across Australia, will be celebrating its own milestone with a torch relay over a six-month period.
Beginning in Pozières, France in the lead up to ANZAC Day 2023, the relay will continue on to London before returning home to Australia and stopping at all 44 Legacy clubs.
Which postal services matter most to you? The Australian Government wants to hear from you about the postal services you want and need now, and into the future.
Your input will help the government understand how to modernise postal and related services so that Australia Post can deliver the services people want, while also supporting its long-term financial sustainability.
You can have your say by:
• Visiting the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts website and adding a comment in the “short comment” box.
• Uploading a submission to the website or emailing it to postalconsultation@infrastructure.gov.au.
• Writing to: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts GPO Box 594 Canberra ACT 2601, marking it Attention: Director, Postal Policy — Communications Services and Consumer Division.
Submissions close on 27 April 2023.
Further reading: ABC
