Thursday, 1 June 2023

Burwood post office

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (15:56): (278) My adjournment matter tonight is for the attention of the Minister for Government Services. Obviously the matter I want to raise is in part a federal government matter but does impact many local Victorians who want to pay bills and want to access and receive local, simple services.

On the weekend I spent time in Toorak Road in the pocket around Glen Iris. The Burwood post office is due to be closed by Australia Post on 30 June. This is a body blow to the local community. It is a body blow to local traders. It is obviously very significant to the many small businesses in that pocket and the many older people who use the post office to pay bills, including state government bills, and to access simple services, including their post. This I understand is happening under policy by Australia Post on a broader level, but I think at a state level we should be prepared to stand up and say that in key locations where local communities are going to be severely impacted, we should advocate and fight to retain some of these local services.

It is clear that in this case the services provided by Australia Post are important to the local community, and I know that up to 1900 people have already signed a local petition to protect the Burwood post office. One of the signs I saw in a bread shop said it is like a muscle: ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it.’ And in this case they are urging people to use the local post office, and I support that call. But at the same time we need local MPs and we need the state minister, who does have a number of state payments go through some of these post offices, to stand up and actually support local services of this type. I certainly support the Burwood post office and will be fighting and advocating for that post office to remain open.

It is too often now we see the bean counters, the bureaucrats of a certain type, the cutters and the closers inside these government organisations just turning the tap off on local services like the Burwood post office. So what I seek from the Minister for Government Services in Victoria is that he engage with his federal colleague.

Bev McArthur interjected.

David DAVIS: He might want to advocate on a broader front, but specifically today I am asking him to advocate for the future of the Burwood post office and to thereby protect the local community and local businesses.