David Farley (right, in vest) and rally organiser Helen Dalton (with microphone) joined Coleambally residents in protesting the postal downgrade. Photo: Supplied.
Australia Post refused an offer from Murrumbidgee Council to help rescue Coleambally’s mail services after they were stripped from the town, according to Mayor Ruth McRae.
The town’s long-standing licensed post office (LPO) closed suddenly on 6 February for reasons that have not been publicly explained.
Some services resumed the following week at Marilyn’s Pharmacy, but key functions remain unavailable. The new outlet does not offer banking, BPAY bill payments, parcel tracking or PO boxes.
On Tuesday (28 April), a crowd of about 150 residents rallied in the main shopping area to protest the downgrade.
“The crowd was very respectful, not hostile at all; they are trying to advocate for a full postal service, not just an agency,” Mayor McRae said.
“We are 55 km from Griffith, 29 km from Darlington Point. They tell us to just go to the nearest post office, but it’s not that easy. There’s no public transport, we have an aged population … quite frankly this small rural community is suffering greatly from the withdrawal of an essential service.”
Independent MP for the state seat of Murray, Helen Dalton, who organised the protest, and federal One Nation candidate for Farrer, David Farley, both attended the rally.
Australia Post has said it is working to restore full services to the town, but Mayor McRae rejected that claim.
“I know for a fact that council made an approach when this first happened that council would take up the licence, that we could set apart and make space within our local office in Coleambally, and we had no take-up or no genuine response on whether that would be an option at all,” she said.
Coleambally farmer Rob Grant, with MP Helen Dalton and Mayor Ruth McRae at the rally. Photo: Supplied.
Australia Post declined to respond directly to the mayor’s claim but provided the following statement after the rally.
“Australia Post understands how important postal services are to the Coleambally community and acknowledges concerns raised by some locals about current arrangements,” a spokesman said.
“We continue to support Marilyn’s Pharmacy and thank them for stepping in at short notice to operate a Community Postal Agency to ensure there was no disruption to essential postal services.
“A review of the current service model is underway, including inviting feedback from residents, to better understand local needs and determine the most suitable and viable option for the future. We will continue to keep the community updated.”
Lana Evans, a mail contractor who said she was sacked by Australia Post for speaking out about the downgrade, also claimed the government entity rejected offers from others to take over the licence.
Mrs Dalton urged Coleambally residents to maintain the rage.
“The bigger and clearer the message, the harder it is for Australia Post to keep looking the other way,” she said.
