As the sun rises over the quiet streets of Australian suburbs, some residents wake up to a puzzling and frustrating change: the familiar red Australia Post boxes that once dotted their neighbourhoods have vanished.

This sudden disappearance has left many locals, especially the elderly, in a lurch, as they now have to travel further to mail a letter.

Removing these iconic postboxes from one East Coast suburb has sparked outrage among residents, with some feeling blindsided by Australia Post's lack of communication.

Retiree Rene is one such resident who has felt the impact of this change.

She expressed her dismay to A Current Affair, highlighting the plight of those who rely on these services the most.

Australia Post removed five postboxes from Southport, causing inconvenience and outrage among residents. Credit: iStock

'I feel sorry for those little old ladies who want to mail their grandkids a present and do it in time, but they don't have a car. How will they get their present in the mail for Christmas?' Rene lamented.

The decline in physical mail has been a global trend, with Australia experiencing a 65 per cent reduction in letter volumes since 2006.

The digital revolution, further accelerated by the pandemic, has significantly shifted towards online communication.

However, despite this trend, a steadfast segment of the population remains, particularly among the elderly and those in rural areas, who depend on traditional mail services.

Australia Post has defended its decision, stating that it still operates over 14,000 postboxes nationwide, exceeding the regulatory requirement of 10,000.

‘As we continue to see mail decline, we remove some street posting boxes that are not frequently used, subject to vandalism or in areas where we have significant overlap,’ the spokesperson said.

Yet, the heart of the issue for many is not the rationale behind the removals but the need for more transparency and communication from Australia Post.

Residents like Rene call for at least one postbox to remain in Southport for convenience and ask for clear information on future changes.

'Just tell us what you're doing, don't just take them away,' she urged.

Adding to the concerns is the looming increase in stamp prices.

Australia Post has proposed raising the cost of a basic postage stamp from $1.50 to $1.70 starting 1 July 2025.

This move is intended to offset the financial losses incurred by Australians' declining letter-sending habits.

While concession and seasonal greeting stamp prices are set to remain unchanged, the increase will predominantly affect business and government customers.

Australia Post's Group chief executive officer and managing director, Paul Graham, emphasised the necessity of the price hike to ensure the postal service's financial sustainability, particularly for rural and regional communities.

Key Takeaways

• Australia Post removed five postboxes from Southport without providing prior notice, causing inconvenience and outrage among residents, especially retirees.
• Letter volumes in Australia have reduced significantly, with a 65 per cent decrease since 2006 and a shift towards digital communication.
• Australia Post defends its actions by stating it operates more than the regulatory requirement of postboxes and considers factors such as demand, vandalism, and safety when deciding to remove them.
• Australia Post has proposed to increase basic stamp prices from $1.50 to $1.70 to offset losses in its letters business as more people choose digital communication methods. Concession and seasonal greeting stamp prices will not be affected.

Have you been affected by the removal of postboxes in your area? How do you feel about the proposed stamp price increase? Join the conversation in the comments below.

 

[Arran697]

How many people would use a postbox to mail gifts to grand children etc
That's a bit of a silly statement.
You actually need to take them into the PO to find out the cost.
Even oversized letters these days do not go for a standard mail cost so not much sense in taking a wild guess and leaving the recipient to pay at the other end.
I live in a very small country town and we would probably need to take an extra ten steps to go inside the PO if our mailbox was removed. Hardl

 

[Arran697]

I realised this a month or so back when my nearest letter box disappeared and then yesterday my go-to box was missing! My next choice had no parking at all as did the local post office. Gave up after that! I just think if Australia Post have the cheek to put their stamp prices up, they could at least supply us with a Letter Box! PS I enter a lot of competitions and although I can do quite a few online, I like to send by mail as well.

 

[IAN3005]

Who can afford to send a letter these days

Have to get a 3rd job just to pay for the postage.

 

[IAN3005]

I have never been in the post office (until recently to deposit money as the local bank has closed) for over 20 years.
E-mail is the fastest.

 

[Rosi Gordon]

No surprise that letters are down 65%. Maybe if Auspost attempted to improve their service then more might use them. By providing online tracking we are able to see just how inefficient they are.

It's the company that sends the parcels are responsible for tracking as Australia post doesn't know about the articles until they receive them to deliver. All my items are tracked by various companies.

 

[Rosi Gordon]

Our local Red post box is checked every second day by the post collector and very rarely does he find anything in it except cigarette butts, drink cans and even a used nappy and itisin an area where a lot of elderly live. Cost of stamps going up because Email has taken for letters and even cards so the red boxes are pretty irrelevant.

 

[Kevin. A.]

You cannot blame the Post office for removing post box's which are either seldom used or frequently vandalized. The cost of servicing unused post box's and replacing vandalized post boxes would mount up over time. Email and online services have taken their toll on the revenue for the post office and while festive celebrations throughout the year tend to have more people ending cards through the post ensuring the post office has a commitment for post services.

 

[Towing]

How many people would use a postbox to mail gifts to grand children etc
That's a bit of a silly statement.
You actually need to take them into the PO to find out the cost.
Even oversized letters these days do not go for a standard mail cost so not much sense in taking a wild guess and leaving the recipient to pay at the other end.
I live in a very small country town and we would probably need to take an extra ten steps to go inside the PO if our mailbox was removed. Hardly a great ha

 

[Towing]

Over sized letters have not gone at the normal letter size price for many years. I worked in a mailing dept for the company I worked for. I retired in 2009 and you paid extra for a long time before that.