An inquiry into Australia Post, which opened its first post office more than 200 years ago in 1809,...

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Qantas Freight and Australia Post have marked the next phase of growth in their long-standing partnership with the arrival of the first of three additional Airbus A321 Passenger-to-Freighter...

By KATRINA BRANDON     A VISION has come to fruition. Last Friday (October 16), around 30 people gathered to break ground on a new Australia Post parcel facility in Morwell. Among them was Latrobe City Council (LCC) Mayor Sharon Gibson (Newborough Ward), Steph Morgan (Yallourn Ward), Leanne Potter (Budgeree Ward), Rob Moffatt (Morwell Ward), chief executive Steve Piasente and Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron. The new Gippsland Parcel Facility will bring together Australia Post and StarTrack operations from Moe, Morwell and Traralgon into one modern, purpose-built hub, improving efficiency, safety and service for customers, team members and local businesses across the region. The new facility will also be the first constructed within the 69-hectare Gippsland Logistics and Manufacturing Precinct (GLaMP). At the sod-turning, Cr Gibson said a former councillor was long-time advocate of the project. “This wouldn’t be happening today if it wasn’t for an ex-councillor of ours, councillor Graeme Middlemiss,” she told those in attendance. “GLaMP was his vision for this plot of land. I’m delighted that you have taken up the vision to see what can be put in place here. “I’m delighted that Australia Post is looking to consolidate here as an anchor tenant, that is going to help more to come on board. It’s about jobs, where we’re diversifying our economy, and that’s really important at this time.” No post on Sundays: Australia Post General Manager Planning and Infrastructure, Darren Mackenzie, Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, and Latrobe City Mayor Sharon Gibson. Mr Cameron highlighted the attraction the project will have for other businesses and groups to invest in Latrobe. Expected to open in late 2027, the 10,000m2 facility will feature advanced automation capable of processing up to 5000 parcels per hour. The facility will help parcels move through the network faster, improving tracking visibility and create a safer working environment by reducing manual handling for team members. During the unveiling of the new site, Australia Post General Manager Planning and Infrastructure, Darren Mackenzie said the investment reflected Australia Post’s commitment to ensuring regional communities continue to have access to reliable parcel services. “Regional areas like Latrobe City are continuing to experience strong growth in online shopping, and this investment gives us the capacity to keep pace with that demand while supporting the communities and businesses that rely on us every day,” he said. “By bringing operations together into one purpose-built site, we’re creating a safer, more modern working environment for our team members, reducing manual handling and helping parcels move through the network faster and more reliably.” Only was to make it official: Vaughan Constructions Director, Eric Law, Latrobe City Mayor Sharon Gibson, Australia Post General Manager Planning and Infrastructure, Darren Mackenzie and Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron formally commence work at Australia Post’s new parcel facility in Morwell. The site will incorporate a sustainable design and is planned to feature a rooftop solar system, a battery energy storage system and electric vehicle charging. Australia Post aims to continue supporting customers through multiple retail outlets across Gippsland, with the new site also set to include parcel locker access points and dedicated customer pick-up and drop-off facilities for StarTrack customers. Australia Post and LCC has partnered with Vaughan Construction to complete the project. This investment is part of Australia Post’s broader transformation to modernise its network and deliver faster, more reliable services for communities and businesses across regional Victoria, with new facilities opening in Castlemaine, Benalla, Cobden, Beechworth, Myrtleford, Stawell and Robinvale in the past year.

Small businesses are being hit with "underpaid postage fees", but Australia Post says its size and weight scanners are "highly accurate" and will not disclose how often its technology is wrong, raisin...

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50 years ago The Express, August 27, 1976 Better mail service soon   THE Morwell mail centre will be a further step in the decentralisation program of the mail processing work from the central mail exchange in Melbourne to a number of country locations. The State Manager of Australia Post, Mr R. J. Page, advised the Member for McMillan, Mr Simon, of this yesterday. The complete decentralised program envisages the introduction of seven mail processing centres in the Melbourne metropolitan area and five in the Victorian Country area. Morwell will be one of the five in the Victorian country areas. Studies by Australia Post have led to the conclusion that a network of decentralised mail centres is a more appropriate base on which to maintain fast and efficient postal services to meet community needs. The Morwell mail centre will serve most of the Gippsland District, and is planned to commence operation during the 1977-1978 financial year.   30 years ago The Express, August 27, 1996 Shadow minister inspects paper mill   THE Shadow Environment Minister, Sheryl Garbutt, was in Latrobe Valley to obtain a first hand view of what is now our single largest employer. Both the management and union representatives were anxious for the shadow minister to understand the scale of operations in the forest and paper industry in Latrobe Valley and its importance to the local community. It is important for members of the alternative government to appreciate regional issues and Australian Paper is certainly an important issue in this region.   10 years ago The Express, August 25, 2016 Silence from education dept   THE Department of Education has not commented on a review of its Trafalgar High bus service which has resulted in a number of Willow Grove parents invoiced almost $250. Trafalgar High School, on behalf of the department, recently sent out letters to a number of Willow Grove parents with the invoice for last semester’s school bus fares, as they had bypassed their nearest government school – Lowanna College. The Express contacted the department on Friday, after concerns were raised by parents, but it is yet to respond to a series of questions lodged. Parents are concerned only some of the town’s residents are being billed for the bus, based on distance from the school, despite the fact all students are picked up from the general store, regardless of their address. The department has also not responded to reports Trafalgar High’s advanced learning students are exempt from the fare as the program is not offered at Lowanna. Trafalgar High School is also yet to comment.

Indigenous artist Bobbi Lockyer has been left frustrated after she sent a $4,000 custom artwork of the Pilbara to a buyer in Queensland, only for an empty cardboard sleeve to be delivered.