Recent bushfires have underlined the importance of postal services in regional communities. 

 

A Deloitte Access Economics report released today reveals that Australia Post supports a $10.6 billion e-commerce market through its delivery and post office networks and is increasingly important to regional, rural and remote areas of the country.

 

Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate, said the report ‘Economic and social value of Australia Post to regional, rural and remote Australia’, reinforces how critical Australia Post is to areas that other service providers cannot reach.

 

“The most important aspiration in regional communities is to have access to services, such as education, health and government,” Holgate said. “And regional Australians see Australia Post as the most present service provider in their community, ahead of schools, cafes, pubs and grocery stores. After the local doctor and police, Australia Post is also the most trusted service provider in regional communities.

 

“We’ve seen this come to life in towns affected by bushfires lately.  Post offices have become community hubs for information, shelter and basic services.  We even heard of firefighting crews battling hard to save the local post office, because they knew the importance of the post office to the community during and after disaster.”

 

Report highlights:

 

• More than one third of the 2500 post offices in regional Australia support in-conjuction businesses, such as newsagencies and general stores.

• Regional business owners visit their post office 66 per cent more often than other residents do.

• Last financial year, $26.8 million in banking and bill pay transactions (representing one third of Australia Post’s total transactions) and 1.6 million identity verifications were conducted in regional post offices.

• Australia Post employs 4800 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs in regional Australia, with every four of those jobs indirectly supporting another five full-time equivalent jobs in those local communities.

• Regional residents see Australia Post as their ‘most present’ service provider and among the most trusted in their communities.

 

The report, ‘Economic and social value of Australia Post to regional, rural and remote Australia’, was commissioned by Australia Post and produced independently by Deloitte Access Economics. It is available for download at www.auspost.com.au/regionalreport.