While best practice around the world is the open competition for the postal service and retail post offices being dominated by, well, postal services, successive governments in Australia have allowed and even encouraged the 100% government owned and protected Australia Post to compete more with private enterprise.
Yesterday’s news that Australia Post is to sell insurance is more evidence of selective interpretation of what is permissible under the Act which governs Australia Post.
Let me declare my interest. One of my newsagencies is directly opposite a government owned Australia Post shop. Here, the federal government directly competes with me for stationery, greeting card, ink and toner, book, calendar and other sales. Government owned post offices have no role in taking more and more business from private enterprise.
Australia Post benefits from government protection. Their retail outlets get rent deals, special landlord treatment, better buying and cheap access to customers who have nowhere else to go for the right to stand in a line for mediocre service.
I don’t blame the Australia Post executives. They are probably on a nice bonus scheme. This is a policy issue which can only be fixed by politicians. That they refuse to even consider the issue demonstrates their lack of care for small business.
Have you heard the ad on the radio for Aust Post. saying that they are the place to go for all your Fathers Day needs. Cards and Giftware. Aust Post is the place to go. (so they say)
Australia Post is the place to go and lose time from your life which you will never get back.
actually my customers prefer to buy stamps from me rather than from post office.
That champion of the small businessman John Winston Howrad did NOTHING about it in 11 years of government so maybe Labor can do better sooner !!
WHAT ABOUT THE FREE ADVERTISING EVERY CHANEL EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR,EVEN OUR SMALL LOCAL PAPER.
MAY BE ONE OF OUR ASSOCIATIONS COULD POACH ONE OF THESE SPIN DOCTORS.
EVEN A WEBSITE ADDRESS WHERE TO GO
Australia Post Marketing…..I receive monthly in my home letter box and in my shop mail a colored, glossy brochure from Australia post promoting their extensive range of mobile phones & wireless broadband products. Their stationery and books and computer printers etc. I cant help but feel duped when I hear in the media that Australia Post are pushing for an increase in the postal rate and stamps? I suppose they have to pay for all this marketing somehow! You have got to wonder what is going on here…as usual a government office not being very transparent.
Gaye, successive governments have failed us on this. They prefer the profits they make from Australia Post to the tax returns they make from us.
just picked up the lates AP catalogue, apart from the usual postal related products such as, computers, printers, mobile phones, stationery,ink,cameras, there was also a microwave oven, a toaster/egg cooker,kettle, stereo, ceral kit, salad container. In fact in a 16 page catalogue, there was 3/4 of a page for postal products????
why do they still call themselves Aust Post, they seem to have little interest in that. All i can say is thank goodness for there very ordinary customer service and disinterested staff that drive customers to my business.