Australia Post makes progress with Queensland mail
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Australia Post is making good progress in clearing the backlog of Queensland mail, with the majority of mail now getting through via road, air and sea.
"With a number of major arterial roads now open, mail is now flowing in and out of Queensland, as well as from point-to-point within Queensland, and our people are working around the clock to deliver the mail where it is safe to do so," said Australia Post spokesperson, Lanie Harris.
Delivery of mail to businesses and households in flood-affected areas is returning to normal though in cases where flood damage to properties prevents mail from being delivered, Australia Post is offering free mail redirection.
"We are now able to deliver to the majority of addresses in the Brisbane metropolitan area, and we expect that to improve as people return to their homes and begin to clean up their properties."
While access to most major towns is now possible, access to some regions is still restricted due to local flooding and infrastructure constraints. Australia Post advised that planes are being used, where possible, to get mail into these communities
"As at Tuesday morning, there are still 500 points in Rockhampton that are inaccessible and some destinations west of Dalby, including Condamine and the Lockyer Valley remain closed.
"Many people in other states have been holding off sending mail into Queensland, so as they start to lodge mail we do expect mail volumes to increase this week as the crisis eases.
"Our posties, mail sorters and staff at our outlets are doing an outstanding job of getting on top of the additional load, but with transport and production constraints, it is important that people understand that mail bound for Queensland may take a few days longer than normal."
Australia Post is pleased to confirm that the majority of post offices that closed due to the floods have now reopened; however, one of two Australia Post national customer contact centres, based in Coronation Drive, Brisbane, remains closed which means that calls to the customer feedback line are unfortunately experiencing some delays.
"We are encouraging customers to visit auspost.com.au for updates, but we ask people to be patient and understand that we are in recovery mode after a crisis situation," said Ms Harris.
Australia Post's thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by the disaster. Our retail outlets nationwide continue to accept donations to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal.