Member for Mallee - Transcript - Interview ABC Radio Regional Victoria statewide Mornings with Nic Healey -  - Friday 26 June 2026

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

TOPICS: Australia Post plans for Licensed Post Offices, older Australians’ usage habits, Senate inquiry, Government’s tabled response this week to 2024 Senate Inquiry on regional banking closures, neglect of regional Australians

Healey

Let's talk about the post office, your local post office. You're picking up and sending parcels, your stamps, your passport, paying your bills, even transport, transferring money. It is a hub in regional communities, but federal Coalition are concerned that the many services they provide could be at risk. There's actually going to be a Senate inquiry into what the Coalition are calling a secret plan to downsize or even close post offices around the country, and I know a regional Victorian MP is particularly worried about changes to licensing agreements, they could see post offices merged into host businesses like pharmacies or news agents. Now, Dr. Anne Webster, the Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, and of course, Nationals member for Mallee. Anne, always good to chat. Good morning to you.

Webster  

Good morning, Nick. I just have one question for you, if I can, you know, change the table. Did you finish the book?

Healey

Yeah, look, I came really close. It was a door stopper of a Harry Potter, and they're all doorstoppers, but this was a particularly big one. Can I just say I put a dent into it? How about that?

Webster  

Right. Yes. Well, I don't think I've ever read a book in one day, but you know, there's still time.

Healey

Oh, yeah. No, bit of a holiday passion of mine is seeing if I can roll through a book on a single day. Thank you for not choking a sickie today, by the way, and running off towards the soccer is having a chat to us. What are you concerned about when it comes to local post offices?

Webster  

Well, the very things that you mentioned, that out in the regions, in particular, we have a heavy reliance on our LPOs, licensed post offices, often run by families and small businesses and people in the towns, small towns who may have 100 kilometre round trip to the next post office, they do their banking there, they can pay bills there, and we've got to remember that a lot of the people out in our regions are older people who still, I was going to say, haven't caught up with the digital age … that's not fair … they don't want to catch up with the digital age, and they have a real aversion to scams and frauds. Who can blame them? So, our local post offices, which have that mandate to provide banking and paying bill services are really incredibly important, but what's come out is a leaked report by the Australia Post board after the Senate estimates. This is where it's … this could be a Harry Potter sequel, I think, where the Australia Post CEO disclaimed any knowledge of any plans, no nothing to see here, and they had already passed or endorsed a plan to reimagine local licensed post offices across Australia. That's deeply concerning for our regional communities, in particular. In the cities, look, part of their plan is to do more parcel lockers, no problem, go for it, you know, nobody cares, but out in the regions, the services that LPOs provide are critical, and I can tell you right now, this inquiry that Sarah Henderson, the Shadow Minister for Comms and I have talked about, and have now agreed to, she has got that inquiry up in the Senate, which is open - opened yesterday - and submissions will close on the 7th of August, and the reporting date will be the 12th of October. Paul Graham, the CEO of Australia Post can expect a little more grilling than he even experienced at Senate estimates to fess up on what he did not fess up in for Senate estimates. This is our job in opposition. We don't get much, you know, opportunity to feel like we've had a win, but I tell you what, holding people accountable for the jobs that they are well remunerated for is really important. The other point is Anika Wells, of course, is the Minister for Comms, and she says, "Oh, look, nothing to see here, that's a separate entity.” No, she is a stakeholder minister, this is the statutory body, the Australia Post, and they have obligations, and she has an obligation to know what is going on.

Healey  

This week we've also seen the government's response to the Senate inquiry into banking closures in regional Australia, and government noted that most of the recommendations, including something like legislating banking as an essential service. Do we need to go further? Are we at risk of losing not only our banks, but also where we turn to, the post offices?

Webster  

Look, I think that whatever changes cannot be worse. I think - you know - there needs to be at least that stipulation. It can't be a worse situation. Those who live in the regions, city people … look, this goes for health as well. I cried through a 20-minute speech this week in the House, actually in the Mural Hall about health services, because it is the same thing. We are sick to death of being treated as second class citizens out in the regions, and particularly outside the Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong halo out where you know a lot of people live, 30 per cent of Australians live out this way - sorry, Victorians live out here, and we have a right. We don't want sympathy, we want better services. So, I don't want to see banking or Australia Post or health, which is my other portfolio, diminished by any decisions that the government makes, and for the government to also sit on their hands and not make commitments to improve what we have: That, I also don't want to see.

Healey

Yeah, Dr. Anne Webster. Thank you. I'm sure we'll catch up after the Senate inquiry. Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, Nationals member for Mallee, as well, they'll be putting a spotlight on some of the proposed changes.

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