Australia Post is set to increase bulk mail prices by up to 5 per cent in the beginning of October, as mailers start a petition to ‘stop the national mail carrier in its tracks’. Australia Post has confirmed the price hikes as part of its biannual review, saying the rates will go up again in 2016.
Small pre-sort mail will rise by 2.8-2.9 per cent for priority and 3.1-3.5 per cent for regular service, with the new promo post up 1.1-1.4 per cent. Print post will rise by nine per cent for under 125g and eight per cent for the rest, with regular small up eight per cent and the rest five per cent. Mailing houses have said that price increases will lead to increased costs, job losses as well as having ‘catastrophic ramifications’ for all of the associated industries that support the production and development of the medium of mailing – including mailing houses, printers, paper and machine manufactures and numerous supporting agencies. To counter this, David Sykes, director of D&D, has started a petition, which has 343 signatures so far, addressed to Communication Minister Malcolm Turnbull to put a stop to the proposed increases. He says the industry is ‘incensed by pricing increases that will have detrimental effects on their businesses including the loss of jobs’. Sykes says, “Australia Post wants to ignore its community responsibility and not deliver mail. Australian Post wants only to deliver technology based services and gain income from clicks. “These price increases need to be stopped, people will lose their jobs and the community obligation to deliver within Australia will be conveniently removed.” He says the price hikes will affect all of the Australian community especially regional areas as bulk mailers will cull their mailing lists because of the high cost. “Regional routes will become too costly and Australia Post will no longer distribute mail to the regional areas,” Sykes adds. AustPost has rejected these claims saying there will be no change to its operations in rural and regional areas, and it will maintain its obligations to deliver to 98 per cent of locations five days a week.
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