Locals fume after Australia Post boxes vanish from city 'without warning'
While physical mail has been on a significant decline in recent years, retirees in particular argue that access to postboxes remains critical for many.
Australia Post has defended itself after it removed a total of five postboxes from one east coast suburb "without warning" — leaving some residents fuming over the fact they now have to "get in the car to mail a letter".
It's no secret physical mail has been on a massive decline in recent times in Australia, driven primarily by the rise of digital communication. But many argue physical letters are still a critical mode of communication for thousands around the country, particularly among the elderly.
Since 2006 there has been a 65 per cent reduction in letter volumes in the country — with experts saying the trend has been exacerbated by events like the pandemic, which accelerated digital adoption. But retirees and locals in rural areas in particular remain heavily reliant on the service and Australia Post said it still delivered 500 million parcels in the last financial year.
Retiree blasts AusPost over vanishing service in suburb
One Gold Coast local said all that remains in her suburb of the former postal infrastructure is merely a slab of concrete in the ground. "I just don't know why they've all gone," she told A Current Affair.
"I feel sorry for those little old ladies who want to mail their grandkids a present, and do it their in time, and they don't have a car — how are they going to get their present in the mail for Christmas? I just think it's ridiculous, without warning. If they had a good reason or they told us about it, different story."
The resident said she was outraged she had to travel to a physical branch to mail her letters, after driving around to five different former postbox locations.
Responding to the criticism, Australia Post told Yahoo News Australia it still operates more than 14,000 postboxes nationwide, "which is well above the 10,000 required under the regulations".
"As we continue to see mail decline, we remove some street posting boxes that are not frequently used, subject to vandalism or in areas where we have significant overlap," the spokesperson told Yahoo.
They said there are currently more than 150 street postboxes in the City of Gold Coast and around 1000 in the greater Brisbane area.
The spokesperson said AusPost regularly reviews the location of its boxes, carefully considering factors like local demand and whether the community is well-serviced by other postboxes. Sometimes, they said, councils request the removal of a post box when there might have been repeated vandalism.
With the postbox on Southport Nerang Road in Molendinar, for example, it posed a road safety hazard due to its location.
According to Australia Post, by the end of the decade the average household will receive fewer than one letter per week — underscoring the ongoing decline — however, the Gold Coast woman said she'd like at least one postbox to remain in Southport for convenience.
"Just tell us what you're doing, don't just take them away," she said. "It seems like they were stolen, that's what it feels like, I almost reported them stolen."
Stamp prices poised for major increase
Meanwhile, it's also surfaced Aussies could soon be paying more for a basic postage stamp as Australia Post lodges plans to increase prices in an effort to offset any financial losses due to the dip in people sending letters.
Australia Post has lodged a draft notification with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), proposing an increase in basic stamp prices from $1.50 to $1.70 from July 1, 2025.
"Australia Post continues to face structural challenges in its Letters business that are expected to only get worse," Group chief executive officer and managing director Paul Graham said.
"This proposed increase will primarily impact business and government customers and is necessary to offset growing losses in our letters business, as more people choose to communicate digitally. We remain focused on continuing to deliver for all Australians, especially for communities in rural and regional Australia, but this is only possible if Australia Post is financially sustainable."
The change will not impact concession and seasonal greeting stamp prices, which will remain at 60 cents and 65 cents respectively.
With NCA Newswire
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