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

With your indulgence, Deputy Speaker, may I say how delightful it is to see you as Deputy Speaker. I just have an amendment to paragraph (3), and I formally seek leave of the Federation Chamber to amend the notice of motion relating to postcodes by omitting paragraph (3) and substituting:

I have checked with the opposition.

Leave granted.

I therefore move the motion as amended:

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a seconder for the motion?

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the motion before the House. In doing so I would like to say that I can sympathise enormously with the member for Ryan. Australia Post is recalcitrant. It is difficult to change their position on any number of issues. I have fought a battle for over 10 years to get them to put a post office or an agency at one of my shopping centres. It is quite interesting that they have refused to do that but at the same time they have agencies and post offices in other areas. They are very black and white, the member for Ryan. They make a decision and, once they have made a decision, they are not for shifting. They have made that decision; they believe it is the right thing to do; and, no matter what issues we raise with them, it is really hard for them to change their minds.

I can understand the issues that you have raised about postcodes and the sharing of postcodes for distinctly different areas. I think I share your same frustration that you have locations that are 130 kilometres apart. I am sure that the member for Maranoa is going to add to that argument. I am going to put forward something that is a little bit different—I have the opposite in my electorate. Once again it is something that we approached Australia Post about five plus years ago. There is one area within my electorate that is severely disadvantaged. Its postcode is Windale 2306, but there are other areas that are very similar to Windale incorporated into larger postcodes. A suburb may be one kilometre down the road, but it has been incorporated in the 2290 postcode. The simple fact is that this distinct postcode for the subgroup of Windale has led to some discrimination over a period of time. When levels of disadvantage or unemployment are considered, they are considered for that postcode. The residents of that area have for a very long period of time been arguing that they should be incorporated into postcodes that are minutes away.

Unlike the situation that the member for Ryan has highlighted in the chamber today, this is the other side of the situation, where an area would benefit if it were incorporated under another postcode. Australia Post has a very closed mind; they cannot see the benefit of it. There was a working party established within the Windale area, called the Windale renewal group. That was back in the early 2000's, and one of the strong recommendations of this group was to be incorporated into the 2290 postcode with suburbs that were close by. That would have had the impact of moving away from some of the discrimination based on that postcode. It did not happen. Australia Post did not listen to the argument. There was a lot of investment through the Windale renewal scheme, where a lot of work was done to help the community. It is very strong and vibrant community; it is actually one of the strongest communities within the electorate of Shortland. People who live there are proud of the fact that they live in Windale; but, on the other hand, they are very concerned that this simple postcode effect leads to discrimination. So, just as postcodes affect the electorates of Ryan and Maranoa with the unintended consequence, consequence of disconnection, here is an area which would be better if it were incorporated into other postcodes and it has a very similar sort of effect. Perhaps the answer is that Australia Post needs to sit down, take a really good look at postcodes throughout Australia, determine the best way of allocating those postcodes and go through the process of putting in place postcodes that truly reflect the areas those postcodes cover. I thank the member for Ryan for bringing this to the chamber's attention. I note that she has made an amendment, but in looking at it I would have to say we really need to strongly encourage Australia Post to listen to the community that they represent. We need to strongly encourage Australia Post to have a more open view of how they look at situations—be it the starting of new post offices or the establishment of a post agency or the allocation of postcodes. Things change; things do not remain the same. If your opinion stays the same, it shows that you are not reacting to the concerns of the communities that you service. Australia Post is a service organisation and, as a service organisation, it needs to listen to those communities that it services. I suspect also that a number of their employees would find it a lot easier if those postcodes did not cover such diverse areas as have been outlined. As I was saying, I thank the member for Ryan for bringing this to the chamber, and I am quite happy to support any request for Australia Post to be more receptive to the communities they service.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support this motion as a seconder of the motion put forward by my colleague the member for Ryan, and for very good reasons. I have got many communities in my electorate that do not have a postcode that is allocated to their community. From the far west of my electorate almost on the border of the Northern Territory, the community of Bedourie, the headquarters of the Diamantina Shire, does not have a postcode, yet it is headquarters of a large region of the Diamantina Shire. Its postcode is Rockhampton, based on the Pacific Ocean rim. It is just nonsensical that they could not allocate a postcode in these circumstances to communities like Bedourie. Yowah, west of Cunnamulla, has to share the code with a community 150-200 kilometres away. Why not give them their unique postcode? They have a school and a community centre, they are quite a big centre now. They have mobile phone coverage but they do not have a postcode for delivery of mail. What Australia Post needs to understand is that they serve the people, they have a universal service obligation to serve the people for the delivery of mail. They really need to listen to concerns of members and the community where this is a significant issue.

As a member for Ryan has put it quite well, Benarkin in my electorate and also Blackbutt share a postcode with some other communities up to 130 kilometres apart. For instance, Blackbutt is not geographically located on the edge of Ipswich but that is the postcode that has been allocated. It causes significant problems and costs to that community. Blackbutt is located in the South Burnett region not far from Kingaroy, very near Nanango and Yarraman, which have their own postcodes.

What does it mean for those communities? If you look at Centrelink, Centrelink believes that Blackbutt is a suburb of Ipswich, and that requires residents to travel 130 kilometres to transact Centrelink business in lieu of, say, a 60-kilometre drive up to Kingaroy, which is their nearest Centrelink office in their own region. I have had farmers call me because of some labour situations, such as that holiday backpackers on a special visa are allocated to rural Australia, and after 12 months they can apply for an extension of that if they are in a rural area, as they are. But because their postcode is Ipswich they cannot have that extension on that visa. This disadvantages the farming community, where they have a need for a workforce in horticulture and other activities in the Blackbutt region. Then we have got the issue of insurance. When insurance companies look at the postcode of the people of Blackbutt, and Benarkin for that matter, they say, 'Ah, a suburb of Ipswich.' They then go have a look at the crime issues and say, 'This will be a high risk area,' so people are actually paying a premium for their insurance because of that very postcode that is associated with Ipswich. I take nothing away from the good people of Ipswich but, because their postcode is that of Ipswich, they are charged an additional risk factor and it is costing up to $150 additional each time they get quotes for insurance on a business or a house, on household risk. So it is a disadvantage for these people.

On the issue of crime and drug related issues, Blackbutt is a proud community and they do not want to be associated with other communities that are necessarily in Ipswich's case associated with the greater risk of crime and also drug-related issues in their community. What I am saying and what the motion suggests is that we are calling on the government to request Australia Post to listen to the people and allocate a unique postcode rather than sharing in geographically separate locations. That would not be difficult for Blackbutt. It could be associated with Nanango or Yarraman or even Kingaroy. Nanango is about 60 kilometres away and Yarraman about 20 kilometres. They have their own postcodes: Nanango is 4615 and Yarraman is 4614. Surely it would not be difficult to give them the same postcode as their very near neighbouring communities or even Kingaroy if that would suit them better. But it would certainly mean a lot of lower costs to the community and would mean that the Centrelink issues could be addressed and that those visas applications to extend a holiday visa, a working visa, would be able to be addressed locally. I commend the motion to the House and call Australia Post to act on this very significant issue for many rural communities.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As there are no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next day of sitting.

Sitting suspended from 12:50 to 16:00