Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

Had I not been drowned out yesterday, I could have provided all of this information to the Senate. It got to the point where nobody was interested in listening. Hopefully, if today they are, I will provide the information. The situation, as I started to say yesterday, is that Australia Post is a government business enterprise and is responsible for its own commercial and management decisions and, of course, it is required to operate in a commercial manner. The government’s role is to set postal policy, as it is in telecommunications, including in relation to setting regulations and community service obligations and ensuring that Australia Post adheres to its legislated requirements. And, historically, as I also started to say yesterday, Australia Post has absorbed the cost of providing mail redirection and mail-holding services to pensioners.