The last post

By Kath Gannaway
HEALESVILLE residents are calling on Australia Post to put a hold on its decision to close the PostShop at Healesville Walk shopping centre.
Last week, a notice went out to Healesville businesses and residents advising that the PostShop – which opened amid a public outcry in 1999 – would close on 9 February.
Australia Post advised that all services, including post office boxes, would be provided by the licensed outlet at Healesville Newsagency from 12 February.
Last Thursday Healesville resident Robyn Johnson and long-time local businesswoman Mary Rose Hookey met other concerned residents with the aim of rallying support to keep the PostShop open.
They have written to Australia Post asking that plans be put on hold until the organisation has consulted with community groups and residents.
They have also called for a public meeting in mid-February to discuss the issue.
Ms Johnson said more than 1,000 people had also signed a petition calling for the post office to stay, indicating a need for the service.
The petition was to be presented to McEwen MP, Federal Minister for Small Business, Fran Bailey yesterday.
Ms Johnson and Ms Hookey accused Australia Post of once again ignoring the needs of, and failing to consult with a large section of the Healesville community.
Tamara Israeli, property manager for Healesville Walk Shopping Centre, said she had received a lot of calls from people who wanted the PostShop to stay.
Ms Israeli told the Mail on Wednesday that she had still not been notified by Australia Post that they were pulling out of the centre.
Ms Johnson said she felt for older residents, who she says will be affected most.
“There are a lot of older people living up this end of the town and they will be disadvantaged by this move,” she said.
“It’s a convenient, one-stop location for older and disabled people, but also for parents with children.
“They come down here, do their shopping at Coles, they have accessible parking, the butcher, chemist, library and doctors all within a very short distance, and to expect them to walk a further half a kilometre is just not on,” she said.
Ms Hookey said many older people would have trouble walking up the steep lane-way from the car park at the rear of the main street to the licensed post office at the newsagency.
Australia Post has defended its decision, saying the PostShop is not viable.
State communications manager Janice Mascini said: “We have given the outlet many years to improve, but customer numbers have been consistently declining.
“It was just not sustainable to continue to operate both outlets which are just 300 metres apart when there is no indication of growth in the market.”
She said the licensed main street post office had operated successfully for seven years and was used by most local Australia Post customers.
Ms Mascini said mail deliveries would not be affected because delivery operations would be relocated to a building elsewhere in Healesville.
Responding to accusations that the organisation has not consulted with Healesville residents, another Australia Post spokeswoman, Nadine Lyford said Australia Post had consulted with Ms Bailey, which she said was the usual procedure.
She said there was no requirement for Australia Post to consult with the wider community but said Healesville residents would have been aware when it was proposed a year ago to reduce trading hours that the outlet was struggling.
“Healesville residents had an opportunity to show their support then, but patronage has continued to decline,” Ms Lyford said.
“We tried to make it work. It’s just not viable to run two outlets.”
In 1999, Healesville residents were fighting a different battle after Australia Post announced that it would close the long-established main street post office and open the PostShop at Healesville Walk.
Healesville residents marched in the street and mounted a hard-hitting media campaign, accusing Australia Post of failing to consult with the community.
The resulting compromise was two post offices – a licensed post office set up at the newsagency, and the PostShop.