Are we prepared to sacrifice 5 day delivery for our regional mates?

The iconic postal service is clearly in trouble with the forecast estimating a total loss of $7.1 billion through to 2022-23. Mr Fahour, CEO of the company, attributes the losses to standard mail delivery which is currently required by regulation to be delivered 5 times a week. Letter volumes are in decline and with the spread of Australia’s population continuing to grow, this part of the business is about to cost Australian’s more than we bargained for.

Consider the privatisation of Australia Post. The government has officially ruled out the sale however, if the entity started to cost the nation money instead of earning it, why would they keep it? The main concern with doing so is the potential loss of essential services in regional and remote parts of the county. Regional towns need two things to survive, a pub and a post office. Retail outlets are agents for over 750 different businesses and government entities and provide essential services that would unlikely be replaced if the company was sold.

So what changes are we prepared to accept as consumers to ensure that Australia Post stays in public hands? Letters being delivered 2 days a week? Personally, I think receiving my Telstra bill a little later isn’t a high price to pay for out mates out in the bush. Have your say in the comments below.