Australia Post has increased its annual net profit despite the impact of electronic mail. Profit-after-tax for Australia Post lifted by AUSD40 million to AUSD371 million and AUSD221 million of that will be returned to the Commonwealth as a dividend. Managing director Graeme John says letter volumes were up by 1 per cent on last year despite the high use of email, and direct mail volumes increased by 5 per cent.
Read MoreAustralia 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.
Read MoreAustralia Post would extend its banking services further into rural and remote areas under a AUD9.7 million plan announced by the coalition today.
With the big banks having pulled out of many small communities in recent years, the post office has become the only place in some towns where people can do their banking.
Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson said a coalition government would spend AUD9.7 million over four years to set up banking services in an extra 266 licensed post offices.
People in rural NSW towns such as Bellata, Garah, Pallamallawa, Tottenham and Trundle would then be able to access banking services through their post offices for the first time.
Read MoreAustralia 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.
Read MoreAsia Pacific top IATA cargo agents 2003
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