Postal Industry Ombudsman Update

The Postal Industry Ombudsman Bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate on Monday 7 March.

Prior to last October's federal election, both the Liberal Party and the Labor Party committed to setting up a Postal Industry Ombudsman (PIO).

The first discussion paper regarding a PIO in Australia was published in 2002, and POAAL has supported the concept from the beginning.  POAAL made a detailed submission in response to the discussion paper.  It was pleasing to see that many of our suggestions were incorporated into the PIO model.

This week POAAL has been in contact with the Minister's office and also the Shadow Minister's office, reminding them of POAAL's support for the PIO.

The PIO will provide a mechanism for customers to resolve disputes with Australia Post, and possibly customer complaints against other postal operators.  It will also provide another avenue for Licensees, Mail Contractors and Community Mail/Postal Agents to air issues relating to postal matters.

On the whole, if correctly implemented, the PIO should lead to an even more reliable and professional postal service in Australia.