Tara Murray
Some Hume and Whittlesea residents will have seen changes to their mail delivery, with letter delivery temporarily changed to every second business day.
Australia Post made the changes to the postal service last month due to the changing needs of customers during COVID-19.
Letters will be delivered every second day or five times a fortnight in certain areas, but additional Australian Post delivery parcel vans will hit the streets to cater for the rise of parcel delivery needs.
Among the suburbs affected by the changes are Craigieburn, Roxburgh Park, Mickleham, Kalkallo, Donnybrook (postcode 3064) Yarrambat (postcode 3091), Wollert (postcode 3750), Wildwood and Sunbury (postcode 3429).
Australia Post general manager deliveries south Shane Plant said the move was part of temporary changes to Australia Post’s performance standards and services, announced in April, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know people want their parcels quickly and we have been working hard through the pandemic as more and more people turn to online shopping and home delivery,” Mr Plant said.
“The delivery of letters to metropolitan addresses every second business day will free up some of our people to help deliver the increasing parcel volumes spurred on by a boom in online shopping.
“By moving some of our posties into vans, it will give them the capacity they need to continue to deliver the essential items that customers have been ordering online while they’re unable to visit the shops.”
Online purchases increased by 96 per cent between April and July in comparison to the same time last year, according to Australia Post.
Express Post, parcels and Post Office Box mail will continue to be delivered five days a week.
McEwen MP Rob Mitchell said residents were already complaining about delays in their mail.
He had concerns it could lead to a permanent change of mail services.
He said he’s heard stories of bills coming the day before they were due, medical forms arriving after the date they needed to filled out and even medicines being delayed.
