Why your mail disappeared overnight: Shocking reason Australia Post boxes are vanishing!

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.


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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.
 
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Over the last couple of years our post boxes have been slowly removed and now have no express boxes left so you can only post express during business hours forcing us to drive to the post office which isn’t much help to the elderly people in our town as they moved the post office from the middle of town to the outskirts of the town.
 
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 hardship.
 
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 hardship.
That’s great for you unlike our post office was moved to the outer part of town and not walking distance for a lot of people
 
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.
 
Onli
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.
Online tracking is usually for parcels, not letters, and the majority of parcels don't fit in a mailbox .
Letters are down 65% because most people send emails these days. Nothing to do with postboxes.
 
Post boxes are removed after a count of letters over a period and also they take near boxes into proximity ...usually 30 letters a week will keep but less will not ....a former supervisor
Thanks for that information.
I'm surprised they even keep a postbox for 30 letters week.
All these postboxes need to be emptied every day, adding to the cost of mail, which people keep complaining about.
I guess we can't have it all ways.
 
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Reactions: PattiB
That's unfortunate, why would they move the actual Post Office,.not just the postbox?
Apparently they were running out of space for parcels but they got into a lot of trouble because post offices are supposed to be in convenient places in towns now that’s how it is and it’s all done and dusted.
 
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Apparently they were running out of space for parcels but they got into a lot of trouble because post offices are supposed to be in convenient places in towns now that’s how it is and it’s all done and dusted.
Mmmmm, with the advent of Temu even our little town is stacked high with parcels every day .
We are lucky in one way. It wouldn't make much difference if they moved ours. Middle of town or edge of town is about the same,lol.
 
And more posties will be out of jobs with less to pick up from. Every business is really doing their best to do without people. It doesn't make sense for the economy in the long run. The world really is sliding in the wrong direction.
 
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Reactions: Liz
And more posties will be out of jobs with less to pick up from. Every business is really doing their best to do without people. It doesn't make sense for the economy in the long run. The world really is sliding in the wrong direction.
 
I have a challenge with 'illiterate' parcel delivery drivers. Twice I have lost parcels due to this. My address is 355 NOT 335. Must be 1st world problem.
 
But that posties wages, for an unviable service, is adding to the cost of postage, which causes inflation, and therefore not good for the economy.
A Catch 22 situation.
 
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Reactions: jay2
Is it any wonder they are losing money. Reduced services and convenience and increased prices are a recipe for disaster. If you want to compete with on line letter WOR you need to make your service more affordable and easy to use. Also if they taught kids how to write at school might help
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Robeo56
I have a challenge with 'illiterate' parcel delivery drivers. Twice I have lost parcels due to this. My address is 355 NOT 335. Must be 1st world problem.
🤣🤣🤣. Yes, I was continually delivering parcels to a neighbour which were left at my place in error.
Even when I pointed it out to him on two occasions it still kept happening.
Since moving to the country no more problems. Everybody knows everybody, everybody knows the postie by name. Never moving back to the city, lol.
 
I wonder who the dill or dills were who "regulated" the number nationwide to 10,000? Probably a committee decision thing, by some mob sitting in a comfortable office somewhere with very little knowledge of how things are in the real world.
 

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