Australia Post Bi-Centennial Celebrations
The Australian Postal System Looks Back on 200 Years Public Service
Jun 23, 2009
Australia Post, a brand name adopted in 1975, is the current name for one of the world’s oldest public service organisations, the Australian postal service which was established in his home by a Sydney man, Isaac Nichols. Today, Australia Post employs 35,000 people and has an additional 3,000 licensed post office operators, making it one of the country’s largest employers.
Early Days for Postal Systems
In 1837 Rowland Hill, the man generally thought of as the inventor of modern postal services, had published a blueprint for a postal system which involved the principle of the ‘sender-pays.' This was in contrast to the previous system which involved the receiver paying. In the UK, Hill’s work would lead to the establishment of the Post Office and the issuing in 1840 of the world’s first stamp, the Penny Black.
In Australia, Roland Hill’s inventiveness led to the issuing of the world’s first pre-paid sheets which could be written on and then posted with the receiver not having to pay to receive the letter. This innovation was launched in 1837, three years before the Penny Black was first issued.
The development of a single integrated postal system was an important part of the process of nation-building in a country which moved from being a colony to, first, a Dominion and then a fully independent country. Other contributors to this integrative development were the road and rails systems.
Delivering Mail across a Continent
The Australian postal service has to deliver mail across an entire continent, a challenge that is made more difficult by the country’s relatively small population. It is exacerbated by the commitment of Australia Post (mandated in its charter) that the cost of sending a letter will be the same wherever in the country it is addressed to.
In the cities this is not an issue. However, in areas like the Stock Route on the border between Western Australia and the Northern Territories, it raises the question of cost versus equity. The Stock Route is an area roughly seven times the size of Belgium, but it has fewer than 150 residents. The cost of delivering mail to those residents is much higher than it would be in more populous areas. Fortunately, equity wins out.
In South Australia and the south western part of Queensland here is another unusual mail delivery service wherein, once a week, an air service taking two days to complete takes off from Port Augusta not far north of Adelaide in the south of the state and delivers mail to 13 cattle stations on a round trip of nearly 1,800 kms.
Australia Post Today
Australia Post continues to deliver post across the country using its network of 10,000 postmen and postwomen working across nearly 8,000 postal rounds. As long as there is the political and the popular will there to ensure an equitable postal service it is likely that Australian residents will continue to have mail delivered for a flat rate wherever they live in this vast continent. This will include Santa Claus who gets 100,000 letters addressed to him each year. Where does Santa Claus live in Australia? That’s easy. It’s Santa, North Pole, 9999.
