The image above is a clip from the latest Australia Post brochure which arrived in our PO box yesterday. If John Howard was as serious about small business as he claims to be, he would stop the 865 100% Government owned and protected Australia Post retail outlets from taking business from independent small businesses.
Australia Post used to be a Post Office. Under the stewardship Prime Minister Howard Australia Post has morphed its corporate stores into mini newsagencies – leveraging the lemming like conga line of customers into stationery sales.
The Government says Australia Post is operating within what is permitted under the Act. Since they control both houses of parliament they also control the Act. If they wanted to stop the retail network they own from taking sales from family run newsagencies then they could.
It all comes down to will and whether the commitment to small business is hot air.
The Post Office opposite my newsagency is Government owned. It competes aggressively in the ink and general stationery space.