Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have been advised that Australia Post intends to close the Palm Beach Post Office as soon as 26 November this year. This will be a great loss to the residents and businesses of Palm Beach. My office and I have been inundated with comments from local residents and businesses on this issue in the four days since the announcement was made. These comments range from disappointment to absolute outrage. The people of Palm Beach are passionate about ensuring that their community’s current infrastructure is maintained and local businesses rely upon the services offered by the post office to conduct their business.

A closure of the Palm Beach Post Office will impact particularly on the senior residents of Palm Beach, those without personal transport and the local business community. And this is at a time when none can afford that to happen. I will be meeting with the area manager and regional manager of retail sales and services for Queensland from Australia Post tomorrow morning. I will be putting forward the argument that Palm Beach needs its post office to remain open. I will also be taking that opportunity to ask for further detail. That detail will include when the decision was made to close the post office, what alternatives to closing the post office were considered before the decision was made and what community consultation occurred prior to the decision being made. I note that I was not advised until Friday, 22 October of the impending closure. I understand that the reason put forward by Australia Post for the closure of the post office is that there has been a decline in customer numbers. However, my constituents advise that the Palm Beach Post Office is always busy and the facility is certainly not sitting idle. This has been my own experience.

I will also be joining with my state colleague the member for Currumbin, Jann Stuckey, and the Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce on Monday morning in Palm Beach, along with local residents and businesses, to rally against the closure. I encourage any local residents and businesses who feel strongly about this issue to do the same. The public rally will occur on Monday, 1 November starting at 10.30 am at 1045 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach. Once again, I urge all people who are interested in maintaining the Palm Beach Post Office and keeping it open to please attend the rally.