Commonwealth Ombudsman inundated with complaints about Australia Post
Complaints about Australia Post skyrocketed almost 70 per cent during the pandemic as Victorians bore the brunt of delivery issues.
Victoria
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Thousands of frustrated Australia Post customers have resorted to calling a national watchdog for help during the pandemic over delayed, damaged or lost deliveries.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman was inundated with 1059 complaints about the postal service between July and September — 69.7 per cent more than the same period in the previous year.
Victorians in lockdown made up 40 per cent of those seeking help, with about half of the complaints relating to packages delivered late or lost in the post.
About a quarter of incidents raised with the ombudsman related to posties not properly delivering parcels to the right address or leaving them in unsafe locations.
The ombudsman also received 1091 complaints about the postal service between April and June last year, almost double the number during the same period in 2019.
In one case investigated by the ombudsman, a Melbourne woman used Australia Post’s priority service to send medication to her terminally ill father in South Australia, but it did not arrive on time.
The ombudsman’s intervention prompted a search for the package, which was eventually delivered, but it said the incident highlighted “the reliance customers place in priority services occurring as advertised”.
Australia Post bosses told a Senate hearing last year that the organisation faced a “very challenging environment in Victoria” as coronavirus restrictions meant only two-thirds of staff were allowed to work in sorting centres.
In September, just 77.9 per cent of letters were delivered in Melbourne within the required five-day time frame.
The federal government granted Australia Post relief from its regulatory obligations during the pandemic, allowing it to suspend its priority letters service and deliver regular letters every second business day.
But acting opposition communications spokesman Tim Watts argued the surge of complaints was a result of the government’s “incompetence”, saying it was “callous” to reduce services.
Mr Watts said residents in his western suburbs electorate of Gellibrand had “stopped me in the street to complain about this issue”.
In its report, the ombudsman said it was monitoring the impact of the regulatory relief, although it said “anecdotal opinion” from complainants showed a “broad understanding and some acceptance of the challenges Australia Post is facing due to COVID-19”.
An Australia Post spokeswoman said there was a 53 per cent increase in parcel deliveries in the September quarter.
“Australia Post is committed to delivering for all Australians, we always welcome customer feedback and if customers are experiencing issues with their delivery, we encourage them to contact us on 13 POST,” she said.
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