Printing Industries has launched a national campaign aimed at winning political support for wide-ranging reforms to ‘monopolistic’ Australia Post.
The campaign is a result of months of planning and research and follows an application by the national carrier to the ACCC for its biggest increase yet in bulk mail and postage fees.
“The price increase issues are a major concern and they are just the tip of an iceberg threatening the future viability of the entire mailing industry and all the associated sectors whose economic livelihoods are under threat by Post’s blindsiding tactics,” said Printing Industries CEO Jason Allen.
“Post is showing a total disregard of its stakeholders and has continued to ignore recommendations of the Senate Inquiry into the Performance, Importance and Role of Australia Post that raised concerns about the growing divide between Post and these key groups.
Allen said that Australia Post had consistently failed to consult the industry and had yet to make a valid economic and business case to support its actions.
“We believe it has failed to meet the criteria of the Australian Government’s Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA). It has avoided quantifying the impacts of its actions across the community and failed to provide economic and social evaluation in monetary terms of its proposed actions.”
Allen said it was the duty of federal parliament to hold Australia Post to account.
“Printing Industries along with key industry stakeholders has commissioned the research, done the homework and prepared the math that politicians around the country need to see in order to understand what has been going on and to expose the erroneous pathway that Post is on.
“Members of Parliament need to understand the consequences of Post’s actions on the employment of as many as 150,000 people who contribute $14.1 billion in Gross Value Added to the Australian economy - not just the 30,000 people Australia Post employs,” he said.
“From this week, politicians around the country will be receiving our report on the Economic Contribution of the Australian Mailing Industry and our plea to pull this monopolistic, national service provider into line and into compliance.
The mailing campaign to politicians will be followed by meetings with mailhouse representatives next week in Sydney and Melbourne as part of the ‘call to action’ encouraging the industry to lobby every politician to support the campaign. A significant submission will be prepared for when the ACCC calls for feedback on the proposals.
“No decision has been made on pricing by the ACCC but this time they will have a substantial amount of new information and a very large and very angry industry demanding compliance, transparency and consultation before any decisions on Post’s submissions are made,” said Allen.
“The mailing industry understands the challenges it faces by the rise of the digital economy. These challenges must be dealt with by all stakeholders working collaboratively and will not be effectively met by repeated prices increases from Australia Post.
“We call on the government to urgently implement all of the Senate Committees’ recommendations, not just those related to Licenced Post Offices,” Allen said.