Member for Mallee - Transcript - Interview ABC Radio Upper Hunter NSW with Sean Murphy - 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 secret plans for Licensed Post Offices, statutory obligations, Senate inquiry, possible LPO conversions to Community Postal Agencies,  older Australians’ mail and banking habits, Communications Minister accountability

Murphy  

Upper Hunter Shire councillor member and Merriwa resident, Troy Stoltz there, so what are these behind closed doors secret plans? He alleges, well, yesterday the federal Senate formally initiated an inquiry into Australia Post, following an allegedly leaked business plan that suggests widespread so-called quote ‘format conversions’ of post offices are headed for rural and regional areas, the idea, in short, being to consolidate postal services into existing businesses like pharmacies, news agents, or convenience stores, or downsizing them to parcel agents, or even replacing them with parcel lockers. Dr. Anne Webster is a federal MP from Victoria and Shadow Minister for Regional Communications. Good morning, Dr. Webster.

Webster  

Good morning, Sean. How are you?

Murphy

I'm doing well. So, why the Senate inquiry?

Webster

Well, because you're correct. We were handed a leaked report from an Australia Post board meeting, post- the Senate estimates that you might remember took place in May, the end of May. Sarah Henderson, the shadow for Comms, grilled - shall we say - Paul Graham, the CEO of Australia Post, about some of these issues, and he was, can I say, cagey? I think that's being kind, and she was not satisfied. We discussed it in my role as regional comms, and for her as comms more broadly, and decided that a Senate inquiry into what is really going on with Australia Post, because they do have statutory requirements for the number of post offices that remain active, and that was put in place in 2019 but there seems to be this, well, ‘let's just reimagine it’. I mean, as long as it doesn't become fanciful and not true at all, you know, there needs to be functioning post office services out in our regions, as your councillor said, it's really important for people to be able to connect at the local post office to be able to do their banking to pay bills, particularly for our older constituents. It's incredibly important that they have that access, so if Australia Post have a plan to reduce the number of licenced post offices, LPOs, into community postal agents, which can take place in a pharmacy, or in a general store, or in another family business, they don't have banking and bill paying capability, so they don't … they will not have that. So, it's incredibly important that we know, and that there is clarity for the community about what Australia Post is planning to do. So, yes, there is now going to be a Senate inquiry. Submissions have opened as of yesterday, and they will close on the 7th of August, and then a report will be required by the 12th of October. So, can I encourage all of your people to put in their submissions, why Australia Post is important?. What will happen to their communities should any change, because it's not just Merriwa. Did you say Merriwa?

Murphy

Sorry, yes, that's right.

Webster

Yeah, Merriwa. It's not just there, there are so many others. I've certainly got some in my electorate as well, and it's vital for the services in that town, and for people living there, that they can do their posting, do their banking, pay bills.

Murphy

As postal habits change, though, from an emphasis on letters to parcels, and probably to be fair, probably fewer and fewer people are paying the majority of their bills in person. Isn't Australia Post right to explore new models like these stripped-down agency models to be a sustainable business?

Webster  

Look, it is absolutely justifiable, and in fact desired, I would think, for any viable business to be looking at, well, how do we improve efficiencies, how do we stay viable, how can we pay our wages? You know, hence they're looking at parcel lockers, and for, you know, very large regional towns, for the cities, no problemo, you know, go for it. People can go in and pick up their parcels from a parcel locker, but for those out in our regions, we have a larger percentage of older people who still like to write their letters. I get them, I know, and they don't use digital, they don't like banking online, they don't trust it with good reason, given the amount of scams that have occurred and frauds that have occurred. So these face-to-face services must meet the need of our local communities. We're not talking metro, we're not talking Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane. We are talking our regional towns, and the services need to be up front. I think the other thing, Sean, is that Australia Post, where … I can't use the word that is going through my mind right now! …  have not played openly or transparently with the Senate, and I would suggest that Paul Graham is the CEO of Australia Post, needs to come clean, and likewise the stakeholder minister, Anika Wells, who really kind of kicked this away, said, you know, nothing to say here, that Australia Post is a separate entity. No, she is a stakeholder minister. She has a responsibility to know what they're doing. If the board signed off and endorsed this process of reduction, then she, I would suggest,  would know about it, and if she doesn't, she should know about it

Murphy

ABC Upper Hunter breakfast, you hear hearing from Dr Anne Webster. She's a federal MP for from Victoria and Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, and we're discussing the establishment of a federal Senate inquiry into Australia Post and its plans, and at this stage it's leaked plans, potentially for the future of rural and regional postal service, not just here in the Upper Hunter, but right across the nation. So, do you, can you foresee a situation where Australia Post might be trying to not only have agency models in place to fulfil its statutory obligations, but I'm not sure … in the name of cost cutting, simply having parcel lockers in our smaller towns and saying there's our statutory obligation fulfilled, there's a footprint, that's it?

Webster  

it. Well, I would hope not. The fine print in all legislation, of course, needs to be dug out and gone through, and I'm sure the Senate will do that, and will pin the CEO to explain himself and the board's endorsement in May. They need to remember first and foremost that they are a service to our communities. Yes, every - every - LPO needs to be viable, but they are mostly owned and family franchises, family businesses that run these LPOs. So, Australia Post, you know, I understand the parcel lockers, it's great for people who are working all day and need to go pick up their parcel at the end of the day, no problem for people that it works for, but it doesn't work for everyone. So, Australia Post has an obligation to meet their service requirement, and that includes Bank@Post, and it includes bill payment. So it does worry me that if they're going down this track of their own viability that they will reduce those services, and you know they have a 50 kilometre radius from one LPO to the next one, so in my electorate, for example, I've got two LPOs that are 42 kilometres apart. Will they close one? I mean, can you imagine doing 100k trip just to pick up your post or pay a bill? It's … you know, they just need to play fair. That's what Australians expect.

Murphy

Dr Anne Webster, thanks for your time this morning.

Webster

It's an absolute pleasure. Thanks, Sean

Murphy

That was Dr. Anne Webster. She's a federal MP from Victoria and Shadow Minister for Regional Communications. And with a Senate inquiry established yesterday, we'll certainly look to keep you across points of interest from upcoming hearings in Canberra. Meantime, I'll refer again at greater length to the Australia Post statement we received yesterday evening. Quote:

Australia Post acknowledges the upcoming Senate inquiry into Australia Post's retail network. Australia Post is proud of its vital role delivering essential services to communities across Australia and is committed to supporting the long-term sustainability of licensees, particularly in regional and remote areas. It continues. We understand how important postal services are to local communities, which is why we have worked hard to secure new operators to run licensed post offices in branch. Branxton and Merriwa, following a strong response to an expression of interest process, the Merriwa LPO will relocate next to the hardware store from Monday, 17 August. The new Branxton LPO will operate from Piggott Pharmacy at Huntlee Town Centre, just 450 metres up the road, and that will begin Monday, 29th of June.

... and so concludes the statement from Australia Post. Well, does that settle things at least for the moment in your mind, particularly if you are a Merriwa resident or close by and reliant on that postal service? Let me know.

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