Australia Post

infobox company
company_name = Australia Post
company_
company_type = Government Business Enterprise
foundation = 1901 as Postmaster-General's Department
location = Melbourne
key_people = David Mortimer (Board Member and Chairman}
Graeme John (Board Member and Managing Director}
industry = Post
products = Postal service, Office supplies, Greeting cards
revenue = profit $4.53 billion AUD (2006 [http://www.auspost.com.au/annualreport2006/] )
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees = approx. 34,800 [http://www.auspost.com.au/GAC_File_Metafile/0,,2737_eeoreport2003_2004,00.pdf]
parent =
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.auspost.com.au/ www.auspost.com.au]
footnotes =

Australia Post is trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation, the postal service with a monopoly in Australia. Australia Post has established itself as the most comprehensive provider of parcels and logistics services within the Asia–Pacific region. [ [http://www.auspost.com.au/annualreport2006/parcels/parcels.asp Australia Post Annual Report 2005/06 ] ]

History

The first Postmaster of New South Wales was an ex-convict, Isaac Nichols, who took the post in 1809 operating from his home in George Street, Sydney. His main job was to take charge of letters and parcels arriving by ship, to avoid the chaos of people rushing onto the ships as soon as they arrived at Sydney's wharves.

The Postal Act of 1825 allowed the governor to fix postage rates and appoint Postmasters outside Sydney, enabling the first organized postal service. [ [http://www.auspost.com.au/annualreport2003/highlights_aboutap.asp Australia Post 2003 Annual Report] ] .

Postal services grew throughout the Australian colonies as they were established. A regular Sydney-Melbourne overland service began in 1838, as did embossed covers (the world's first) prepaid postage Fact|date=March 2007, and by 1849 uniform postal rates were established by agreement between the colonies. Monthly steamship sea mail to the United Kingdom was established in 1856. The separate colonies joined the Universal Postal Union in 1891.

In 1901, the colonial mail systems were merged into the Postmaster General's Department (or PMG). This body was responsible for telegraph and domestic telephone operations as well as postal mail. The world's first large-scale mechanical mail sorting system was introduced in Australia (according to Australia Post), and operational in the Sydney GPO in 1967. This coincided with the introduction of the current system of 4-digit Postcodes in Australia [ [http://www.storefinder.com.au/postcode-assignment.php Store Finder: History and Assignment of Postcodes ] ] .

On July 1, 1975, separate government commissions were created to undertake the operational responsibilities of the PMG. One of these was the Australian Postal Commission, trading as Australia Post. It later changed its name to the Australian Postal Corporation on January 1, 1989 when it was corporatised, although it still trades as Australia Post.

Current activities

Over the last 15 years, Australia Post has broadened its product and service range and invested in major technology-based infrastructure programs. Today, it operates in three core areas: letters, retail and agency services, and parcels and logistics. It offers delivery services, retail products, financial services (such as bill payment and banking through its retail network), logistics and fulfilment services, and direct marketing and database management services. It also has a number of subsidiaries and joint ventures, including Sai Cheng Logistics International – a joint-venture logistics company established with China Post.

Australia Post remains a government business enterprise. It is self-funding and uses its assets and resources to earn profits, which can be reinvested in the business or returned as dividends to its shareholder, the Commonwealth Government. Under its community service obligations, Australia Post is committed to providing an accessible, affordable and reliable letter service for all Australians wherever they reside. The corporation reaches more than 10 million Australian addresses; operates 4,462 postal outlets; and serves more than a million customers in postal outlets every business day.

Under the Australian Postal Corporation Act 1989, letters up to 250 grams are reserved to Australia Post – other people and businesses can only carry them if they charge four times the basic postage rate. All of the other goods and services provided by Australia Post are sold in fully competitive markets and, in 2005–06, nearly 90 per cent of the corporation’s profit (from ordinary activities before net interest and tax) came from selling products and services in competitive markets.

Board Members

* David Mortimer (Chairman)
* Graeme John (Managing Director)
* Mark Birrell
* Margaret M Gibson
* Sandra McPhee
* Tom R. Phillips
* Ian Warner

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (EC) of Australia Post consists of the following people:

* Graeme John (Managing Director)

* Jim Marshall (General Manager, Mail & Networks Division)
* Bill Mitchell (General Manager, Commercial Division)
* Mark Howard (General Manager, Corporate Infrastructure Services Division)
* Peter Meehan (Chief Financial Officer)
* Michael McCloskey (Corporate Secretary)
* Shane Morris (Group Manager, Corporate Strategy)
* Rod McDonald (Group Manager, Human Resources)
* Stephen Walter (Group Manager, Corporate Public Affairs)
* Paul Burke (Manager, Board & Shareholder Liaison)
* Terry Sinclair (General Manager, Corporate Development)

Employment

Empty cells have no data available for that year. All results at 30 June.

Australia Post Facts: 2005-06

From the 2005-06 Annual Report.
* Handled 5.42 billion mail items.

* Revenue of $4.53 billion.

* Profit (before tax) of $515.6 million.

* Delivered 94.9% of letters on time or early.

* Just over half of Australia Post's revenue comes from delivering letters, the rest comes from other activities.

* Processed 194 million agency-based bill payment transactions, 30 million banking transactions and over 1 million passport applications.

* Australia Post has over 4,462 outlets.

* Australia Post has over 15,436 street posting boxes

* Australia Post has over 34,800 employees.

* Australia Post owns 50% of Australian air Express and Star Track Express with the remainder of both companies held by Qantas

* All undelivered items go to the mail redistribution centres, which attempts to return the items to their sender.

Basic postage rate

The basic postage rate for a small letter has increased over the years due to inflation but influenced in recent years by a complex interplay between Australia Post's monopoly over small items, and need to provide service to all Australian addresses at the mandated basic rate.
* 4c - 1966 Introduction of decimal currency
* 5c - 1967
* 6c - 1970
* 7c - 1971
* 10c - 1974
* 18c - 1975 Australia Post established- price rise to actual cost
* 20c - 1976
* 22c - 1980
* 24c - 1981
* 27c - 1982
* 30c - 1983
* 33c - 1985
* 36c - 1986
* 37c - 1987
* 39c - 1988
* 41c - 1989 [cite news
title = Postage to rise by 2c a letter on July 1
work = Sydney Morning Herald
location = Sydney
page = 5
date = 1989-04-15 ]
* 43c - 1990
* 45c - 1992 [cite web
url=http://www.treasury.gov.au/documents/202/PDF/Article09.pdf
title=Treasury Submission to the National Competition Council Review of the Australian Postal Corporation Act
quote=reflecting an increase in the standard postage stamp price from 41 cents to 45 cents between September 1990 and January 1992]
* 50c - 2003 [cite web
url=http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/88213
title=ACCC announces final decision on postal prices
quote=The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today announced its final decision not to object to Australia Post's request to increase the price of the basic postage stamp from 45 cents to 50c. The increase, which will take effect from January 2003, will see the price of the basic postage stamp rise for the first time in 10 years]
* 55c - From September 15 2008

See also

* Mail
* Postage stamps and postal history of Australia
* Australia Post Stamps and Products
* Section 51(v) of the Australian Constitution - on the postal services power in the Australian constitution

References

External links

* [http://www.auspost.com.au Australia Post]
* [http://www.auspost.com.au/IXP/0,1083,CH2099%257EMO19,00.html Express Post]
* [http://www.auspost.com.au/BCP/0,1080,CH2070%257EMO19,00.html Corporate History of Australia Post]
* [http://www.storefinder.com.au/postcode-assignment.php Postcode assignment and history]
* [http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=162449 History of postal sevice]
* [http://www.auspost.com.au/IXP/0,1083,CH2031%257EMO19,00.html Bulk Mail]