Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As we sit in this place and debate the major issues of the economy, foreign affairs, health and education, it is timely to note that even seemingly innocuous decisions can impact adversely on ordinary Australians. That is the very situation covered by this motion. Something as straightforward as a postcode is impacting on those in nearby electorates.

I thank my colleagues who have indicated their support for this motion. This is an important issue not only for the people of Ryan but also for residents in the electorates of Maranoa, Wright and Blair and no doubt many more across the country. This is an issue that could be resolved by a common-sense decision if it were not for the total lack of interest by Australia Post.

Today I draw the House's attention to the issue of shared postcodes and particularly the plight of the communities within the 4306 postcode region. A quick search on the Australian Electoral Commission's website shows that there are at least 50 suburbs, towns or localities which share the 4306 postcode. These localities are spread across four large electorates and across six different council areas, including Ipswich, Brisbane City, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Toowoomba Regional and South Burnett Regional.

These communities within the 4306 postcode region are extremely diverse. They not only represent the acreage properties of the far western suburbs of Brisbane through to the quiet regional towns of Blackbutt and Benarkin but also cover the significantly more urbanised communities surrounding the city of Ipswich.

There is also a distance of some 135 kilometres between Karana Downs in Brisbane and Blackbutt in the Maranoa electorate, yet the two communities still share the same postcode. Responsibility for the allocation of postcodes falls to Australia Post. The postcode system was introduced in 1967 to facilitate the processing and delivery of mail.

Australia Post says that postcodes are assigned solely for delivery purposes and indicate the delivery centre from which mail deliveries are made. From time to time, changes may be made to postcodes on the basis of providing either customers with an improved standard of delivery or Australia Post with some operational efficiencies or advantages.

However, the relevant issue is that postcodes are used for much more than just efficient mail delivery services.

Most important, perhaps for many of the people living in a shared postcode region, is that insurance companies rely heavily on postcodes for quoting purposes. This is particularly true in the case of car insurance. Insurance providers have access to statistical data provided by impartial organisations, as well as their own record of claims that have been made according to the postcode.

Unfortunately, probably the most common factor that affects the likelihood of a car being stolen is the postcode where the car is kept. This is why car insurance quotes always require information regarding in which postcode the car is going to be kept and also in which postcode it is likely to be parked at other times, such as during work hours.

Car insurance providers will increase your premium if your car will be spending most of its time in a postcode that has a heavy history of car thefts. On the other hand, if the postcode where you live has a pretty good history with fewer incidents of car thefts, this will impact on your insurance premium positively.

This means, sadly, that the people who reside in the more rural and regional areas of the 4306 postcode zone, including Mount Crosby, Karana Downs, Blackbutt and Benarkin, are having their insurance premiums based on the more metropolitan suburbs of Ipswich.

It seems statistically inevitable that a suburb in a city would have a higher crime rate than the outer suburbs of Brisbane regional towns. It hardly seems fair that all of these communities should be considered under the same postcode for insurance purposes.

In my electorate of Ryan, the 4306 postcode covers the areas of Mount Crosby, Karana Downs, Lake Manchester, Chuwar and Kholo. I was contacted earlier this year by a constituent of mine who lives in Karana Downs. He told me that he is constantly hit with higher freight charges, simply because the 4306 postcode is connected to the Ipswich region and beyond. His suggestion was that Australia Post may wish to allocate Karana Downs the postcode of the neighbouring suburb of Anstead.

Another Karana Downs constituent contacted me and the local councillor about the 4306 postcode issue late last year. He had called an ambulance for his wife. However, it did not arrive until another 2½ hours later. The ambulance, which came from an Ipswich station, due to the Karana Downs' postcode, did not know where Karana Downs was located and had instead driven to Browns Plains, which is 30 kilometres away.

I subsequently wrote to Australia Post to explain the situation and put forward the case for a new postcode for Karana Downs. The response from Australia Post was that they would definitely not change the postcode and suggested that the resident contact his phone carrier to ensure his correct details were stored in the Integrated Public Number Database to avoid a similar situation occurring again.

I understand that my colleagues have also received similar responses to their inquiries on behalf of concerned constituents not only from Australia Post but also from the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Insurance Council of Australia and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

I note that my colleague the member for Maranoa has also spoken about this issue in the House of Representatives and has also presented a petition from his residents requesting a change of postcode but, so far, it has been to no avail.

A recurring theme in the response from Australia Post has been that they will 'only make changes to postcodes when there is a significant benefit to the processing of delivery of mail. In making an evaluation of such benefits we would assess aspects of the geographical area such as the volume of mail currently—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives

Sitting suspended from 12:19 to 12:33

Since 2008, the Karana Downs area has maintained a population greater than 6,000, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Prior to that, the region showed significant growth since it was first established in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of these postcodes were allocated to the gazetted localities almost 30 years ago. Much has changed since then, with many communities, not just Karana Downs, seeing a growth in population. It is hard to believe that four little digits can have such an effect on everyday life. Even trying to find accurate weather data online can be difficult. Many websites use postcodes. Looking for a business in the 4306 postcode zone, you could be searching in Ipswich, Brisbane or even the South Burnett. Then of course there are the added frustrations of extra costs for mail delivery and insurance companies using postcodes to calculate insurance premiums. Australia Post has told residents that they should simply speak to their insurers about having their premiums assessed under different conditions rather than basing them on the postcode. It seems a shared postcode issue goes beyond just insurance premiums. It affects residents in a number of different ways.

This issue is not just affecting communities in the 4306 zone; there are many shared postcodes across the country. I am certain the member for Maranoa will highlight more areas in his electorate, which covers a significant part of south-west Queensland. It is imperative that Australia Post seriously consider the many requests by residents living in the 4306 postcode zones and allocate new postcodes to the region. These communities are not only separated by distance but also they are extremely diverse in terms of the people who live in these localities. It is hard to believe that in many parts of my electorate neighbouring suburbs have different postcodes—suburbs such as St Lucia, Indooroopilly and Chapel Hill or Toowong, Milton and Bardon, suburbs which are a couple of minutes drive from one end to the other, all with different postcodes. Yet towns and locations 135 kilometres apart and two hours drive away have the same postcode. I can only see the problem becoming worse as more and more people relocate to Brisbane's west and to the Ipswich areas. Assigning new postcodes to the suburbs and towns within a shared postcode zone will help to alleviate many of the issues residents living in the 4306 postcode region are experiencing. Mr Ahmed Fahour, Managing Director and CEO of Australia Post, has reinvigorated Australian Post over the last few years. It is unfortunate that this new Australia Post appears so lacking in heart that it is not prepared to take the simple step to help its customers. I commend the motion to the House and request Australia Post to take positive action to remedy this situation.

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