PVCA & AMWU in AusPost Senate submission

The PVCA and the AMWU have appeared jointly in Parliament to make a submission before the Senate Standing Committee's wide ranging inquiry into Australia Post, including its alternate day delivery model.

PVCA president Walter Kuhn, and assistant national secretary, AMWU, Lorraine Cassin, together with Margaret Hogan, national industrial officer, AMWU, went to Parliament House in Canberra, to present to the Committee.

Kuhn said, “It was good to present a united front of business and the union, and in fact it was remarked on by the committee as being a major positive for the submission.”

The trio specifically tackled the issues of the secret AusPost review by Boston Consulting, any future service reductions, and the need for an industry stakeholder group to be established.

"Australia Post is a vital and essential national asset and service, which serves the graphical printing and packaging industry, and any decline in the delivery model has a detrimental effect on our industry," said Kuhn.

Cassin said, "We have seen a detrimental impact on sectors of our industry, such as paper and envelope, making and printing of material for the Unadressed Mail Service."

The position put by the PVCA and the AMWU on the Boston the secretive Boston Consulting Group report was that it should be released, in the interests of transparency for such an important national asset as Australia Post, as it belongs to all Australians.

Kuhn and Cassin also told the committee that the future reductions of Australia Post’s service model is rejected by the PVCA and AMWU. They demanded a cessation of the reduced mail on 30 June, and a return to the normal service, so that Australian, particularly those from lower socio economic groups and the elderly who are not digitally connected, get their information in a timely manner, and are not disadvantaged because of their status.

The PVCA and the AMWU also put forward that an Industry Stakeholder group be set up so that all participants, including AusPost, can sit around a table and develop policy that will support the mail service, and associated industries, so that mail and those industries grow, and provide good and secure jobs.

The PVCA and the AMWU say: “We look forward to the Senate Committee considering what we have put forward in a favourable manner so that we can address these issues facing our industry.”