Australia Post Does Not Deliver to My Suburb

kizzy on 09/10/2025 - 19:27
Last edited 09/10/2025 - 20:35 by 1 other user

I live in a regional centre with 50,000+ people. I am 2.8km from the closest post office and have multiple other POs with a 20km radius. Yet auspost won't deliver to my suburb because they consider it remote or something. I have lived in much more remote locations including the desert and an island, and auspost would deliver to my door.
Does anyone know why they do this, and how I can go about changing it? It's very annoying having to always line up at the PO to get my stuff. Also feel free to rant about Auspost here.

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Comments

  • GooseLord on 09/10/2025 - 19:39
    +3

    Get a PO Box?

    • kizzy on 09/10/2025 - 19:56
      +12

      Interesting suggestion, but I don't see how that will get them to deliver to the house.

    • Seaword on 10/10/2025 - 21:01
      +1

      They will have to pay for this privilege though. It's not free.

  • MS Paint on 09/10/2025 - 20:11
    +9

    What's your address? We can all send you snail mail and encourage change.

    • kizzy on 09/10/2025 - 20:18
      +3

      😂 I appreciate the sentiment. Maybe I'll give you my local councilors address.

    • AsSeenOnTv on 10/10/2025 - 23:15

      Have you seen the price of a stamp lately?!!!! I am not mailing anything unless absolutely necessary.

  • tenpercent on 09/10/2025 - 20:28
    +6

    Put the question and your frustrations to your federal MP.

    Australia Post is wholly owned by the Australian Government represented by two Shareholder Ministers, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts.

    Put the same question and frustrations to the two responsible Ministers, Minister Gallagher and Minister Wells.

    • Anthonese on 09/10/2025 - 22:01
      +6

      Commonwealth Ombudsman (in its capacity as the Postal Industry Ombudsman) are also surprisingly good at this stuff. I would take it up with Federal MP (who might be aware of this issue from other constituents) and the PIO simultaneously before going to Gallagher and Wells

  • GordonD on 09/10/2025 - 21:03
    +8

    A regional centre with a 50,000+ population?

    If you're still in NT, as your profile says, Darwin has a population of lot more than the 50,000 you talk about, in fact 150,000+. And the next two largest population centres, Palmerston and Alice Springs, have populations considerably less than 50,000.

    • BronzingStubble on 10/10/2025 - 11:54
      +1

      Believe it or not, Perth is classified as a regional centre for Federal purposes, dunno about for Aust Post.

      • jasiano on 10/10/2025 - 15:25
        +1

        As someone that lives in Perth yes I believe that. Anything govt or post related is sloowww……

        • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 16:29
          +1

          Anything govt or post related is sloowww……

          Can't say they didn't warn anyone.

          It was called Wait Awhile before they changed it to Western Australia.

      • diddy50 on 10/10/2025 - 16:24
        +1

        Well Perth is the most remote city in the world. So yeah. Makes sense.

        • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 16:36

          They were warned that they'd regret filling in all the water around the castles. It'll be a nightmare fixing all that up.

        • trapper on 10/10/2025 - 21:07

          Honolulu, Auckland?

          Perth does feel pretty remote though.

  • mskeggs on 09/10/2025 - 21:05
    +20

    What did the post office manager 2.8km away say when you asked them?
    "because they consider it remote or something"
    I feel like there are some other facts here unmentioned.

    • Captain Irrelevant on 10/10/2025 - 12:08
      +2

      I'm curious about this fact too. A post office 2.8km away is well within reasonable distance from one's residence.
      OP, what are you not telling us?

      • jason andrade on 10/10/2025 - 18:12
        +4

        You do realize that the local post office is not necessarily the actual place the mail is sent to for last mile delivery?

        My postie has explained that the mail he drops off doesn’t come from the closest post office.

        He sorta and picks his delivery load out from a regional sorting center..

    • TenguTech on 10/10/2025 - 17:12
      +1

      Aren't most POs are franchises these days. So the PO manager probably isn't going to be a lot of help.

      • mskeggs on 10/10/2025 - 17:20
        +1

        You wouldn't ask the nearest post office why they don't deliver to you because they might not help?
        It seems like a pretty simple way to begin. The franchise post office near me knows a lot about the postal system.

        • TenguTech on 10/10/2025 - 17:25
          +1

          Ok, yes I suppose they need to learn a lot to run a PO.
          Was more thinking about them not having the authority to make the decision to change the situation.
          But, yes, start by asking the local is probably a good idea

          • mskeggs on 10/10/2025 - 17:33

            @TenguTech: Agreed they probably can't direct different delivery routes if they are just a franchisee.

    • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 21:20
      +1

      What did the post office manager 2.8km away say when you asked them?

      "You're not in my zone".

  • Payne on 09/10/2025 - 21:07
    +2

    Is your front door is a decent way from the road? Sometimes that can be a barrier for parcel drops.

    Does everyone else in your suburb have the same problem?

  • Anthonese on 09/10/2025 - 21:57
    +1

    Delivery policy

    As part of our Community Service Obligations (CSO), Australia Post is required to provide a letter service which is reasonably accessible to all people in Australia on an equitable basis, wherever they reside or carry on business. This is achieved by delivery to residential and business street addresses, roadside delivery points, Post Offices and Post Office Box addresses across Australia.

    While we try our best to deliver to the addressed property, mail delivery arrangements can vary depending on the size and needs of each community. Factors which may limit our ability to deliver include the safety of our people, the actual location and the cost of providing the service.

    If we cannot deliver directly to the property, mail can be collected from the nearest Post Office, a Post Office Box (may be provided at a reduced rate) or the nearest delivery point on an existing mail run (e.g. a group of letterboxes at an intersection on the route).

    Just get a PO box at a discounted rate lol or write to your federal MP and/or the Postal Industry Ombudsman who will get you in touch with a resolutions manager @ auspost corporate in Melbourne. Sorry, but not sure what we can do about your local mail delivery on OzBargain

    Alas, I do find it odd that Australia Post would not deliver to your entire suburb if there is a post office within 2km as you say. I think you mean specific streets in that suburb (maybe ones very very far from, and quite a way out from, the centre of the suburb)

  • 6079 Smith on 09/10/2025 - 22:02
    +1

    I grew up in a village of 300 odd people, smallish blocks and not spread out so it wouldn’t be hard to deliver but we had to collect the mail from the Post Office in the main street every day which I always thought was quite quaint.

    • SlickMick on 10/10/2025 - 09:31
      +4

      This is how I reckon it should be done. These days we could get an alert to indicate come and collect your mail. Delivering to each house is a ridiculously expensive approach.

      • savage bargain on 10/10/2025 - 09:54
        +1

        It would stop mailbox theft…

        • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 21:23
          +1

          Use a brick mailbox. Harder to steal. Heavier and cemented down.

      • bbinc on 10/10/2025 - 10:18
        +2

        You can opt in to have this notification if you have a PO Box, so it can be done.

  • jv on 09/10/2025 - 22:57
    -4

    The probably consider it remote or something…

  • Far Cough on 09/10/2025 - 23:08
    -1

    time to move to the big smoke

    • jv on 10/10/2025 - 00:39
      -1

      🚬

  • 7ekn00 on 10/10/2025 - 00:03
    +1

    The price you pay for moving into new developments :/

    • bazingaa on 10/10/2025 - 08:55

      mate, OP is from NT

    • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 09:10

      The suburb is over 40 years old

      • Nugs on 10/10/2025 - 09:26

        it's all relative, indigenous have been there for up to 65,000
        .

        • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 21:16
          +1

          Well I guess they had mail delivery sorted out then.

  • Nutrino on 10/10/2025 - 05:51
    +2

    When you are 0.0000001 of their business they will give you 0.00 of their time (round down).

    • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 09:09
      +2

      I don't know about that. I'm <0.00000001% of Amazon's, Kmarts, eBay's (etc.) business and they still take the time to deliver the service.

      • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 16:46

        Kmart et al have competition, they need to keep their customers happy so you will choose to shop with them again.

        AP don't have that problem. They know you've got nowhere else to go.

  • joka on 10/10/2025 - 07:08
    +2

    Curious to know, did this just start happening? Or did you just move there? If its been happening for a long time, why the rant now?

  • mantra on 10/10/2025 - 07:23

    parcels go out for delivery then within hours (sometimes minutes) show as undeliverable by 7am

    sendle (far cheaper than auspost), toll and half the parcels sent through startrack gets delivered to our door

    rural 7km from LPO mail delivery with 10 mailbox's all at end of our street, it's less than 3 minutes extra drive to our door

  • joshash on 10/10/2025 - 07:44
    -1

    Move out of the sticks mate.

  • GordonD on 10/10/2025 - 08:37
    +2

    A question on how it works …

    If you don't get mail deliveries at home, how do you know to go to the post office to collect something?

    Parcels with tracking I understand, because you'll get electronic notification, but how does it work for everything else?

    • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 09:07

      You just don't get stuff address to your home. I'm currently using a PO box. If someone sends it to the street address it ends up in the ether.

    • JimB on 10/10/2025 - 09:11

      I was going to ask the same question haha

      What if you get a fine in the mail but remains uncollected?

      • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 12:03

        What if you get a fine in the mail but remains uncollected?

        I a thinking that the Postal Acceptance Rule may apply.

        The fine becomes effective once it is posted, not when you receive it or bother to read it.

        (Electronic mail is different though, that counts when it hits the receivers email account and a fax is when it lands at destination fax regardless of whether you have read them or not).

        https://lawpath.com.au/blog/how-does-the-postal-acceptance-r…

    • shaybisc on 10/10/2025 - 09:27

      "If you don't get mail deliveries at home, how do you know to go to the post office to collect something?"

      You get a parcel collect address and then they will keep you informed. But the trouble with that is you pretty much need Australia Post to be the deliverer of whatever you buy. Some freight companies won't deliver to post offices.

      • Jayymes on 10/10/2025 - 16:03

        Wait, are you sure "parcel collect" needs a auspost courier? I use it for pretty much everything including amazon and aliexpress deliveries where i know i wont be home and i dont want the item to be left outside in the open and it's always just gone to the post office. For items where there is no tracking, i usually just check in with the local post office after the delivery timeframe has elapsed and ask if there's anything left under my name.

    • SnowDragon on 10/10/2025 - 09:40

      Most people would check their mailbox each day… I guess OP would have to go to the post office each week and ask.

  • IndigoHarlequin on 10/10/2025 - 08:45
    +9

    Mail or parcels? I'm in the same boat for parcels, and I utilise parcel lockers.

    Our community looked into applying for parcel delivery. To do so, you write to your nearest Delivery Centre, addressing the Delivery Manager, who will then conduct a mail poll. The poll must have the support of at least 50% of your community to be viable.

    • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 09:06
      +2

      Wow this is great info. I'm going to reach out to them today.

  • shaybisc on 10/10/2025 - 09:49

    I know people 50km out of a small town who get their mail delivered. Seems very odd that 2.8km out of town isn't being delivered.

  • 2esc on 10/10/2025 - 10:22

    I often get a pick up slip for even thick letters yet i can get a proper parcel delivered the next day. No consistency

    • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 12:10

      often get a pick up slip for even thick letters yet i can get a proper parcel delivered the next day. No consistency

      They may not come from same distribution centre.

      Remember that letters must be thinner than 2cm and less than 250g or they don't class as letters.

      Then letter mail comes from one centre (and possibly parcels under 500g) and other parcels come from a different centre.

      Dude on bike usually delivers mail and parcels under 500g => probably why your fat letters get flagged, postie doesn't want to carry them on his bike, so he gives you notice (probably same for small parcels too)

      Dude in van delivers parcels.

      Oh, and in quite a few areas now, AP no longer offer daily letter mail delivery. Sometimes only once or twice a week. Maybe check that?

      They're only required to provide a letter mail delivery system, it doesn't say how often that delivery is or to where it even must be.

      Law was created when they delivered mail on horseback or Cobb & co coaches, (well, in 1900 to be exact), so may only have got mail once a month or whenever some dude rode out past your spot.

      Parcel delivery not captured by that law. AP gets to work out when that works with their business plan.

  • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 12:07

    Can they get to your letter box (and is it where it is supposed to be?

    Friend has no parking lines along front of property (on road, put there by road line makers), and nobody will deliver to them as there is nowhere safe to park.

    No AP, uber eats, parcel deliveries - nobody.

    • GordonD on 10/10/2025 - 21:32

      nobody will deliver to them as there is nowhere safe to park

      I have no parking outside my place for quite some distance in both directions.

      Everyone just parks their delivery vehicle in my drive to deliver.

      Saw the FedEx guy go past, park way down the street, then walk all the way back. When I expressed puzzlement he said they aren't allowed to use peoples drives because their electric trucks are heavy, damage drives only designed to carry cars, and they get complaints.

  • grasstown on 10/10/2025 - 12:59

    My postie just doesn’t bother leaving it and makes me go to the post office anyway and this is in Metro Sydney

  • BigBirdy on 10/10/2025 - 13:46
    -1

    Is there something we’re not being told? Perhaps the 2.8km to PO is ‘as the crow flies’, but requires crossing a croc infested km wide river in a tinny

  • snapper17 on 10/10/2025 - 13:53

    see if there is a parcel locker near your location. They are often 24/7 access and you can post stuff out from them too.

  • wetsandwich on 10/10/2025 - 14:29

    Are there no other reasons you can think of that might be applicable here? Are you in a weird street that isn't on a map yet, are there strange street numbers like 112a/3, anything else strange about the address?

    Are there multiple postcodes in that town, and you're possibly using the wrong one?

    Is it actually some senders trying to tell you they can't deliver there (as it would cost a bit extra)?
    Have you asked your neighbours if they have the same problem?

    Basically, at what point of a transaction do you get 'told' that they don't deliver, and who exactly is telling you this?

    • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 21:21

      It's the whole suburb. No one even has mail boxes as we don't get mail.

      • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 21:28

        If you don't get mail, what do you want AP to deliver?

        • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 21:29

          🤔

  • pegasusx on 10/10/2025 - 14:29

    I've posted many items a relative at Borroloola NT which is a very small, 600<people, "town". All the locals drive to the PO. Or if its couriered, the local verity shop to pick them up. Even if its within the township 2km<.

  • Xukeepa on 10/10/2025 - 17:26
    -1

    skill issue

  • tabitha731 on 10/10/2025 - 18:04
    -1

    Move back into civilisation.. if you want to partake in normal civilised activities, such as recein* mail or doing online shopping

  • tackyhummus on 10/10/2025 - 18:35
    +2

    They have a mandate to go past every address in Australia, might not be every day but they have to go past every house - and that was in a brief from AusPost for a tender I am involved in currently.

    • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 21:30

      I am thinking that this isn't true for all locations.

      Their own T&C disagree with that and there's no legislation that says they have to.

  • SteveD on 10/10/2025 - 21:02

    Hey OP, could you share your postcode? You mentioned living in a regional center with a population over 50,000, but it seems like some details might be missing. The only regional center in the NT with that size that I’m aware of is Alice Springs. Recently, mail and parcel deliveries were suspended to many homes in the Sadadeen suburb due to safety concerns after attacks on a postie, and residents were asked to collect their items from the Post Office instead.

    If you’re from there, unfortunately, there might not be much the Ozab community can do to assist. Sorry about that, mate.

    • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 21:10
      +1

      Ok it's 0830. I might have guessed the population size but it's definitely a significant regional city, especially considering the greater area. Its definitely not related to safety concerns as it's a safe area and there has never been a postal service. I asked the question to gauge weather this is a normal arrangement for auspost and it seems that it's not the standard arrangement. Using this information I think I have a reasonable argument for them to start delivering the mail. Some might find this a bit entitled but I do find it annoying as it's the 21st century and so much commerce is based around quick and efficient delivery. I pay the same postage rates as everyone else and I think I should get the same level of services.

      • hasher22 on 10/10/2025 - 21:19

        There's something missing from your story.

        0830 is in the delivery postcodes for express and standard delivery and is not counted as "rural".

        Do you have a long AF driveway with no mailbox at the front or something?

        • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 21:24

          It's the entire suburb. Not the postcode, which covers multiple suburbs. This particular suburb is excluded from delivery. Seems strange but that's why I ask the question. I'm familiar with the area but just moved to the suburb.

          • hasher22 on 10/10/2025 - 21:27
            +1

            @kizzy: Then go ask your local AP why your specific suburb is excluded yet other suburbs in that postcode is included.

            Talk to your neighbour and see what they're doing to get mail and packages.

      • SteveD on 10/10/2025 - 21:59
        -1

        @kizzy:First of all, sorry to hear about your situation — that sounds incredibly frustrating, especially considering how close you are to a post office. Based on what you've said, I reckon there are a few things you can try that might help.

        1. Submit a Formal Request for Review
          Start by submitting a written request to your local post office or delivery centre manager. You have every right to request a review of your current delivery arrangement. Be polite but firm — include your full address, explain that you're only 2.8km from the nearest post office, and point out that delivery is available in similar nearby suburbs. Ask whether your street has ever been assessed for street delivery and whether a delivery change is possible.

        2. Ask About a Mail Delivery Poll
          A mate of mine used to work at AusPost, and he once mentioned something called a Mail Delivery Poll. Basically, if you and enough of your neighbours want street delivery, Australia Post can conduct a poll of local households. If the majority supports it — and if there's enough mail volume to justify the cost — they might extend delivery to your area.
          There’s usually a minimum number of households needed to vote “yes,” so you’ll probably need to chat with your neighbours, explain the situation, and get their support. The more people backing the request, the better your chances.

        3. Escalate Through Community Pressure
          If you get community support and AusPost still says no, you’re in a solid position to escalate. You can take the issue to your local MP and ask them to advocate on behalf of your suburb. A letter or call from a Member of Parliament can sometimes carry more weight, especially if multiple residents are affected.
          You can also lodge a complaint directly with Australia Post’s customer service, and if that goes nowhere, escalate to the Commonwealth Ombudsman . They investigate issues where AusPost may not be meeting its service obligations.

        It might take a bit of legwork, but people have successfully pushed for delivery changes before — especially when they work together with their community.

        Hope that helps — and good luck getting it sorted!

        • kizzy on 10/10/2025 - 22:06
          +1

          Thank you ChatGPT 🙏

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