Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I appreciate the opportunity to respond to the nonanswer which is typical of the form we normally see Minister Colbeck show in this place, and once again he showed it today. I would have to describe his response when he was asked to give his view about what was happening with Australia Post on behalf of the older Australians in the country who so predominantly rely on this particularly important essential service as shocked that he should have even been asked. He was asked if he has paid attention to his responsibilities as minister to consult with older Australians. Surely if the minister had undertaken any consultation in any form whatsoever with older Australians about their views with regards to the changes to Australia Post he would have been able to name at least a couple of conversations that he'd had and at least a couple of consultations with leading senior advocates? However, his response through his nonanswer of his shock and his failure to indicate any consultation at all reveals that Minister Colbeck has once again failed Australians who so predominantly rely on Australia Post to deliver the vital information and, indeed, as Senator Carr has indicated, the vital service that's provided through Australia Post in delivering medication to older Australians right across this country.

Senator Colbeck is not the only one who is responsible for making sure that older Australians are made aware of changes that will impact on their lives. In fact, there are many champions who do listen to the older community around this country. One of them on his own team is Senator Fierravanti-Wells, who herself raised concerns the government had acted in haste in delivering regulatory reform without proper scrutiny that is going to make a significant change to the way that Australia Post operates.

We have heard all of the excuses under the sun from those opposite who have participated in this debate this afternoon about why we should trust this government—that the changes they're going to bring in are only temporary. But we cannot afford to trust this government. This is a government which, just a couple weeks ago, misplaced $60 billion. This is the government that delivered robo-debt, and the impact of that on hundreds and thousands of Australians is something that they should be absolutely ashamed of. This is the government that has proven over and over again to Australians that it is completely untrustworthy.

One of the critical things that we know from Australia Post right across this country, and particularly in regional Australia, is how central it is to every single community. The community that I live in on the Central Coast has a very small post office in the newsagency—that is commonly where these things are located—and it is a hub for the distribution of information around our community. The posties who operate out of these post offices across the country not only deliver very important mail and essential goods, such as pharmaceuticals, to Australians right across this nation but they are also part of the social fabric of the country. Just being able to move around the community to deliver mail and noticing when mail isn't picked up are important ways in which the community is able to keep track of what's happening amongst the population that is being served by each of those Australia Post offices.

Senator Carr raised a very, very important point about the detail that is embedded in the explanatory memorandum that relates to the actions that are possible from this government with regard to Australia Post. The determination of Australia Post as an essential service makes it very, very different from other entities around this country. Having a ratio of Australia Post outlets not only provides security for the delivery of mail, and also of parcels, but it also provides important distribution for an essential service. There are serious considerations given by governments of both persuasions from time to time about how the network of Australia Post might provide additional services and access to government services. An assumption is often made by those who don't understand the true nature of access to internet in this country; but not all Australians have access to internet services and the sort of shopping that has been described in this debate this afternoon. People who don't have the internet are particularly vulnerable when it comes to interacting with the government and they need access to the proper services which only Australia Post can provide. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.