Australia Post

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Australia Post
Type	Government Business Enterprise
Founded	1901 as Postmaster-General's Department
Headquarters	Melbourne
Key people	David Mortimer (Board Member and Chairman} Graeme John (Board Member and Managing Director}
Industry	Post
Products	Postal service, Office supplies, Greeting cards
Revenue	▲ $4.53 billion AUD (2006 [1])
Employees	approx. 34,800 [2]
Website	www.auspost.com.au

Main article: Postal service in Australia

Australia Post is trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation, the postal service with a monopoly in Australia. Australia Post has established itself as the most comprehensive provider of parcels and logistics services within the Asia–Pacific region.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Current activities 3 Board Members 4 Executive Committee 5 Employment 6 Australia Post Facts: 2005-06 7 Basic postage rate 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

The first postmaster of New South Wales was an ex-convict, Isaac Nichols, who took the post in 1809, and postal services grew throughout the Australian colonies as they were established. His main job was to take charge of letters and parcels arriving by ship, to avoid the chaos of people rushing onto the ships as soon as they arrived at Sydney's wharves.

A regular Sydney-Melbourne overland service began in 1838, as did embossed covers (the world's first)prepaid postage^{[citation needed]}, and by 1849 uniform postal rates were established by agreement between the colonies. Monthly steamship sea mail to the United Kingdom was established in 1856. The separate colonies joined the Universal Postal Union in 1891.

In 1901, the colonial mail systems were merged into the Postmaster General's Department (or PMG). This body was responsible for telegraph and domestic telephone operations as well as postal mail. The world's first large-scale mechanical mail sorting system was introduced in Australia (according to Australia Post), and operational in the Sydney GPO in 1967. This coincided with the introduction of the current system of 4-digit Postcodes in Australia^[2].

On July 1, 1975, separate government commissions were created to undertake the operational responsibilities of the PMG. One of these was the Australian Postal Commission, trading as Australia Post. It later changed its name to the Australian Postal Corporation on January 1, 1989 when it was corporatised, although it still trades as Australia Post.

[edit] Current activities

Over the last 15 years, Australia Post has broadened its product and service range and invested in major technology-based infrastructure programs. Today, it operates in three core areas: letters, retail and agency services, and parcels and logistics. It offers delivery services, retail products, financial services (such as bill payment and banking through its retail network), logistics and fulfilment services, and direct marketing and database management services. It also has a number of subsidiaries and joint ventures, including Sai Cheng Logistics International – a joint-venture logistics company established with China Post.

Australia Post remains a government business enterprise. It is self-funding and uses its assets and resources to earn profits, which can be reinvested in the business or returned as dividends to its shareholder, the Commonwealth Government. Under its community service obligations, Australia Post is committed to providing an accessible, affordable and reliable letter service for all Australians wherever they reside. The corporation reaches more than 10 million Australian addresses; operates 4,462 postal outlets; and serves more than a million customers in postal outlets every business day.

Under the Australian Postal Corporation Act 1989, letters up to 250 grams are reserved to Australia Post – other people and businesses can only carry them if they charge four times the basic postage rate. All of the other goods and services provided by Australia Post are sold in fully competitive markets and, in 2005–06, nearly 90 per cent of the corporation’s profit (from ordinary activities before net interest and tax) came from selling products and services in competitive markets.

[edit] Board Members

• David Mortimer (Chairman)
• Graeme John (Managing Director)
• Mark Birrell
• Margaret M Gibson
• Peter McLaughlin
• Sandra McPhee
• Tom R. Phillips
• Ian Warner
• Adam Faulds

[edit] Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (EC) of Australia Post consists of the following people:

• Graeme Johns (Managing Director)

• Jim Marshall (General Manager, Mail & Networks Division)
• Bill Mitchell (General Manager, Commercial Division)
• Mark Howard (General Manager, Corporate Infrastructure Services Division)
• Darryn O'connor (Chief Financial Officer)
• Michael McCloskey (Coporate Secretary)
• Shane Morris (Group Manager, Corporate Strategy)
• Rod McDonald (Group Manager, Human Resources)
• Stephen Walter (Group Manager, Corporate Public Affairs)
• Paul Burke (Manager, Board & Shareholder Liaison)

[edit] Employment

Empty cells have no data available for that year. All results at 30 June.

Year	Full-time staff	Part-time staff	Other staff	Source
1993	31934	3999		Annual Report
1994	31130	4204	5626	Annual Report
1995	31621	4501	5253	Annual Report
1996	32040	5689	7849	Annual Report
1997	31111	6185	8466	Annual Report
1998	29564	6961	9151	Annual Report
1999	28205	6756	9776	Annual Report
2000	26915	8482	9455	Annual Report
2001	27079	8458	9660	Annual Report
2002	Darryn O'connor 26950	8812	9703	Annual Report
2003	26394	9033	9557	Annual Report
2004	26019	9030	9559	Annual Report
2005	25851	8953	9570	Annual Report
2006	25387	9196	6415	Annual Report
2007	25026	9498	6247	Annual Report

[edit] Australia Post Facts: 2005-06

From the 2005-06 Annual Report.

• Handled 5.42 billion mail items.

• Revenue of $4.53 billion.

• Profit (before tax) of $515.6 million.

• Delivered 94.9% of letters on time or early.

• Just over half of Australia Post's revenue comes from delivering letters, the rest comes from other activities.

• Processed 194 million agency-based bill payment transactions, 30 million banking transactions and over 1 million passport applications.

• Australia Post has over 4,462 outlets.

• Australia Post has over 15,436 street posting boxes

• Australia Post has over 34,800 employees.

• Australia Post owns 50% of Australian air Express and Star Track Express with the remainder of both companies held by Qantas

• All undelivered items go to the mail redistribution centres, which attempts to return the items to their sender.

[edit] Basic postage rate

The basic postage rate for a small letter has increased over the years due to inflation but influenced in recent years by a complex interplay between Australia Post's monopoly over small items, and need to provide service to all Australian addresses at the mandated basic rate.

• 4c - 1966 Introduction of decimal currency
• 5c - 1967
• 6c - 1970
• 7c - 1971
• 10c - 1974
• 18c - 1975 Australia Post established- price rise to actual cost
• 20c - 1976
• 22c - 1980
• 24c - 1981
• 27c - 1982
• 30c - 1983
• 33c - 1985
• 36c - 1986
• 37c - 1987
• 39c - 1988
• 41c - 1989^[3]
• 43c - 1990
• 45c - 1992^[4]
• 50c - 2003 - present^[5]

[edit] See also

• Mail
• Postage stamps and postal history of Australia
• Australia Post Stamps and Products
• Section 51(v) of the Australian Constitution - on the postal services power in the Australian constitution

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Australia Post
• Express Post
• Corporate History of Australia Post
• Postcode assignment and history
• History of postal sevice
• Bulk Mail

v • d • e Current and former telecommunications and postal organisations of the Commonwealth Government Postmaster-General's Department · Overseas Telecommunications Commission · Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation · Telstra Telecom Australia (official names: ATC (commission) · ATC (corporation)) Australia Post (official names: APC (commission) · APC (corporation))