Queensland floods - Impact to mail delivery and customer support
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Latest flood related news and media releases
Australia Post makes progress with Queensland mail - 18 Jan 2011
Queensland mail delivery slowly returning to normal - 14 Jan 2011
Disruption to Australia Post Operations in Queensland - Update - 13 Jan 2011
Significant disruption to Australia Post operations in Queensland - 12 Jan 2011
Queensland floods - frequently asked questions
What's the impact of the floods on mail delivery to Queensland?
Mail delivery into and out of flood affected regions in Queensland has been suspended, and unlikely to resume in full until next week.
Should I avoid sending mail within Queensland?
To help reduce backlog, we are asking people in flood-affected areas to avoid sending non-essential mail.
Although many post offices and delivery centres in the affected areas are still open, road access is restricted, and we're appealing to people to hold off on lodging their parcels and letters until the floods subside.
Can I send mail to Queensland from another state?
People in other states can still send mail to Queensland, but should be aware that mail into and out of the state will take longer to arrive, including Express Post items.
What is Australia Post doing to help those affected by floods?
We have established an assistance fund for staff and will be matching dollar-for-dollar donations made by staff to this fund. We'll be using the dollar-for-dollar matched funds for relief efforts in areas where our people and operations have been most affected.
In addition, we are donating $100,000 to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal as well as accepting public donations through our outlets nationwide.
Australia Post is also distributing disaster-relief funds through some outlets in flood-affected areas, on behalf of the Queensland Department of Communities. For more information visit www.communityservices.qld.gov.au/community/community-recovery/support-assistance
The public can make donations to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal at Australia Post outlets nationwide or online at the Queensland Government Premier's Flood Relief Appeal website.
I'm in a flood-affected area, but our post office is open - can I send mail?
Although many post offices and delivery centres in the affected areas are still open, road access is restricted, and we're appealing to people to hold off on lodging their parcels and letters until the floods subside.
Is mail being picked up from street posting boxes in flood affected regions?
Where road access is possible we are continuing to collect mail from street posting boxes, but we urge people to hold off on posting non-urgent mail until the floods subside.
What happens to mail that can't be delivered?
In instances where delivery is not possible, we are holding mail at post offices and delivery facilities, and it will be delivered once access is restored.
How long will mail be delayed to and from flood-affected regions?
It is not known how long mail delivery to the flood-affected areas will be disrupted, as this will depend on advice from local emergency services.
Have any post offices been forced to close?
As at Tuesday 11 Jan, there were more than 50 post offices closed due to flooding, though this is a constantly changing situation which depends on local circumstances. For example some post offices might be closed in the morning, but able to open the same afternoon. We are keeping post offices open wherever it is safe to do so.
Have any post offices suffered flood damage?
As at Tuesday 11 Jan, no post offices had been subject to serious damage.
Has there been any mail damaged?
No damaged mail has been reported, though until floods fully subside and street posting boxes can be accessed it will not be possible to determine the full impact of the floodwaters.
Are any staff affected by the floods?
Many of our staff have been personally affected our thoughts are with them and their families, as well as all Queenslanders affected by this crisis.
We have established an assistance fund for staff and will be matching dollar-for-dollar donations made by staff to this fund.
We'll be using the dollar-for-dollar matched funds for relief efforts in areas where our people and operations have been most affected.
In addition, we are donating $100,000 to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal as well as accepting public donations through our outlets nationwide.
Australia Post is also distributing disaster-relief funds through some outlets in flood-affected areas, on behalf of the Queensland Department of Communities. For more information visit www.communityservices.qld.gov.au/community/community-recovery/support-assistance
Is mail delivery to all of Queensland affected, or just the areas which are flooded?
Mail is being flown to larger destinations that are still accessible by air, however, more urgent freight takes priority when space is limited, so outside of major population areas delivery is still limited and irregular.
In some cases we're finding alternative routes where major in-roads are cut-off, and also employing different transport modes.
Is Express Post mail to / from / within Queensland still guaranteed next-day delivery?
We cannot guarantee next day delivery for Express Post items, given the extreme circumstances.
Where can I get advice about mail delivery to and from Queensland?
Customers can go to auspost.com.au for updates, but we ask people to understand that this is a crisis situation of unprecedented magnitude and the advice about which areas are impacted is changing almost hourly.
It is difficult to give definitive advice regarding which locations are receiving mail, but be assured that our staff are working around the clock under very difficult circumstances.
One of the two national customer feedback centres, based in Coronation Street Brisbane, was evacuated on Tuesday, which means that calls to the customer feedback line are experiencing longer than normal wait times.