Postal service to cease delivery

Furious Newman residents are demanding a solution to the Pilbara town’s mail woes after Australia Post announced street delivery would stop from this week.

The current contract for mail delivery at Newman expired on Friday and despite advertising, letters to households and a local media campaign, Australia Post have failed to recruit a new postie due to job opportunities in the mining sector.

An Australia Post spokeswoman said there was no option but to resort to alternative mail delivery options where residents could collect their mail by showing proof of address at the Post Office during opening hours.

With less than one week’s notice, and some residents yet to receive notice at all, locals resorted to airing complaints on the official Australia Post Facebook page where they were told it was not a decision made lightly.

Long-term Newman resident Rainie Luckie said in the 24 years she had lived in the town she had never seen the cessation of mail delivery services.

“I have heard there are other towns such as Broome that have this sort of thing, but that town has a different dynamic to ours,” she said.

“In a town of shift workers, people will have to wait up to four days before they have a chance to access the post office during opening hours.”

Pilbara MP Tom Stephens has called on Australia Post to take whatever steps necessary to maintain street delivery in Newman, including appointing posties from interstate.

“Newman residents have every right to be angry if their postal service is disrupted,” he said.

“Government and industry should be ashamed of themselves for what is happening in Newman and across the Pilbara as more and more services are either lost or restricted because of the inadequate

response to local needs. “Newman people work hard; they are producing more than their

share of royalties for the State Government, taxes for the Federal Government and huge profits for industry.

“They have every right to the street delivery of mail that is on offer to the suburbs of Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra or Perth.”