Letterboxes in Coonamble have been empty for the last few weeks and residents are wondering where the mail has gone.
The delivery contractors for letters in Coonamble say they have been unable to find and retain staff to maintain letter delivery.
Parcel deliveries have only been slightly impacted, and post box and rural roadside deliveries are unaffected, but ordinary letters destined for the township have been sitting at the post office for at least two weeks waiting to go out.
It is a particular concern for residents who do not make use of online accounts to manage their bills and other notices, with many saying they will be unable to stay on top of their legal and financial commitments.
“I don’t know whether I’ve had an important one sent to me or not,” one elderly resident living in Coonamble said.
“My green slip is due in November. They usually send them a couple of weeks before they have to be paid.”
“She’s been in a bit of a panic over the phone bill,” her son added.
“The last bill she got when it was three days overdue. That’s sort of how it all came up.”
The resident says she has not had any mail for the last two weeks.
Her neighbour told the Coonamble Times she had a similar experience over the past few weeks.
“When my neighbour mentioned to me about the mail, I realised I hadn’t seen anything for ages.”
Australia Post is sending a staff member to Coonamble this week to assist the contractor in getting the deliveries out.
The staff member was expected to arrive on Tuesday 12 November.
While mail is sorted in Coonamble, over-the-counter mail deliveries are not part of the current arrangement for the local Australia Post licensees.
At the moment, residents are unable to go to the post office themselves and pick up the mail as Australia Post is stepping in to take care of the issue.
“Australia Post thanks locals for their patience and understanding regarding mail delivery in Coonamble,” an Australia Post spokesperson said.
“We apologise for the recent delays and acknowledge that deliveries were impacted in the past fortnight.
“We are supporting the delivery contractor to deliver all mail and parcels as quickly as possible.”
Tungsten Global, the Melbourne-based holder of the mail delivery contract, say they are recruiting for local delivery drivers.
