Here is a media release from Australia Post yesterday in which Australia Post makes statements of unequivocal support for its small business licenced postal network. Other newsagent suppliers could take note – Tatts, state transport offices and similar agency product suppliers. Well done Australia Post.
15 December 2014
Australia Post announces further support for Licensed Post Office network
Australia Post today announced a wide range of initiatives to further support more than 2,900 post office licensees.
Benefits will start flowing through the post office network early next year, with more than $41 million in post office box payments brought forward by three months to help manage the ongoing sustainability of licensed post offices in the face of declining mail volumes.
Other key measures include establishing a third-party independent study into the sustainability of the licensed post office network and a new formal working group with licensee representative bodies to help address strategic challenges facing the network. This group will be independently chaired by former Senator Helen Kroger.
Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Fahour, said Australia Post was committed to maintaining its extensive post office network, in which licensees played a large and critical role, as part of its reform program.
“In more recent times, with overall customer numbers and letter volumes declining, the business environment for both licensees and Australia Post has become more challenging and we are looking at a number of ways to address this,” Mr Fahour said.
“We are currently establishing an agreed terms of reference for a formal independent study into our licensed post office network, to be conducted by a third-party. The findings of this study will form part of a broader review into the structure and value of payments to licensees.
“I’m confident that by also extending our consultative arrangements to include formal meetings with licensed post office representative bodies, such as LPO Group, APLAC and POAAL, we are well placed to help address the strategic challenges facing the traditional mail business.
“This working group has already met with senior Australia Post executives and will continue to meet to discuss ways we can work together to address issues affecting the network.”
Already Australia Post, in consultation with licensed post office representative bodies, is proceeding with a range of initiatives including:
• Expedited credit applied to January statements for returned excess Christmas postage stamps
• A revised dispute resolution process for licensees to streamline the process, as well as the early identification of any systemic network issues. Details on this revised process will be communicated to licensees once finalised
There’s more behind this than Aus Post being nice Mark. They have basically been forced to start taking this action as a result of the Senate Enquiry into AP which was initiated thanks to lobbying of senators by LPO Group, a group of LPO owners who weren’t happy with the existing representative group or Aus Posts treatment of LPOs . So this isn’t Aus Post just being nice for the sake of being nice and it’s very important to be clear on that .