By Alesha Capone
Australia Post has temporarily ramped up its parcel delivery efforts and also reduced the frequency of letter deliveries across six postcodes in Wyndham, Hobsons Bay and Brimbank.
The postal service has announced it will be delivering letters to residents every second day in all or part of the postcodes 3024, 3027, 3028, 3029, 3030 and 3038.
These postcodes cover suburbs including Altona Meadows, Derrimut, Hoppers Crossing, Keilor Downs, Keilor Lodge, Laverton, Mambourin, Mount Cottrell, Point Cook, Seabrook, Taylors Lakes, Tarneit, Truganina, Werribee and Werribee South.
The change, which has been introduced due to the impact of COVID-19 on Australia Post’s operations, will apply until June 30 next year (subject to review).
However, postmen and women will continue to deliver Express Post, parcels and PO Box mail every business day.
Australia Post also announced last week that it will increase parcel delivery in Hoppers Crossing and surrounds.
Some local posties will become temporary parcel posties, driving parcel delivery vans from this week onwards, to help shift “the unprecedented parcel volumes” which Australia Post is receiving, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Victoria, the number of online purchases increased by 96 per cent between April and July, when compared to the same time last year.
Australia Post general manager deliveries south, Shane Plant, said that significant reductions in flight capacity, government directions and additional safety measures introduced to protect postal staff had contributed to a delay in delivering some parcels.
Mr Plant said delivering letters every second business day “will free up some of our people to help deliver the increasing parcel volumes spurred on by a boom in online shopping”.
“We know people want their parcels quickly and we have been working hard through the pandemic as more and more people turn to online shopping and home delivery,” he said.
“By moving some of our posties into vans, it will give them the capacity they need to continue to deliver the essential items that customers have been ordering online while they’re unable to visit the shops.”
Details: auspost.com.au
