Australia Post says it will improve its service with an additional 1,500 workers to assist across its processing facilities during its busiest week of the year.

The mail monopoly reports since October it has experienced unprecedented early volumes, already processing more than one million parcels every day in the lead up to Christmas.

Aus Post executive general manager of parcels, Bob Black says it is currently all hands on deck at the company, with a number of measures introduced to ramp up service during the busy period.

“To help our customers receive their online Christmas gifts, we have kept our Post Offices open longer, commenced evening and weekend deliveries, and purchased an additional 10,000 parcel cages – which is around 227 semi-trailers worth of Christmas goodies,” he says.

“We are finding close to 30 per cent of all online purchases occur in the three months leading up to Christmas, and that is on the back of a 15.9 per cent growth in online shopping this year.”

Black says the online shopping boom means more parcels are being delivered, adding “Of those purchases, fashion, toys and games are the most popular purchases, as we see people get more organised for Christmas.”

In October, PIAA director of government relations and former politician Mary Jo Fisher accused Aus Post CEO Ahmed Fahour of ‘question dodging’ when he faced the Senate Environment & Communications Legislation Committee.

When asked if the cost of sending business letters had increased at a faster rate than ordinary mail since 2011, Fahour responded, “I am not prepared with the exact mathematics.”

However, it has now been revealed Aus Post is expected to impose a rate increase on commercial mailing at an average of 3.7 percent from January 3.

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