Tag: Australia Post

Australia Post was in danger of being sold off by the government, Labor said.

Opposition communications spokesman Lindsay Tanner said the coalition’s postal services policy, launched today, made no mention of keeping Australia Post in public hands.

However Communications Minister Helen Coonan hit back, saying the coalition had no intention to sell it.

Mr Tanner said it was the first time the coalition’s postal policy had failed to rule out privatising Australia Post.

“There is no reference in the policy document whatsoever to Australia Post remaining in full public ownership,” he said.

Australia Post has rejected TWU calls for a separate enterprise agreement covering its growing transport and logistics arms, saying one agreement is enough. TWU Qld sec Hughie Williams told Workforce there were “several hundred” workers in Brisbane doing “exactly transport work” carting general freight for Post and for Post–Qantas joint ventures Star Track Express and Australian Air Express. “They are even calling themselves a transport logistics company,” he said. Some 210 of Brisbane’s 270 drivers have joined the TWU, but “Australia Post doesn’t want anything to do with the TWU”, Williams said. Post spokesperson Elizabeth Rich said the TWU is neither a respondent nor a party to any of its awards or agreements and Post will not negotiate a separate agreement covering transport workers. “Australia Post currently has in-principle support from relevant unions for its sixth enterprise agreement.

Labor today promised that Australia Post would remain in full public ownership, while guaranteeing the price of a 50 cent stamp would not rise in its first term of office. Opposition communications spokesman Lindsay Tanner said Labor would retain Australia Post’s Community Service Obligations in full to ensure that all customers continued to receive a standard letter service at the same price. “A Labor government will retain Australia Post in full public ownership so it can continue to deliver decent postal services to all Australians,” he said.