Australia Post is contemplating putting up the price of stamps for the second time in a year. But just how important is the basic postal service these days?
Mark Skulley at The Australian Financial Review reports that Australia Post wants to push up the price of a basic stamp from 55 cents to 60 cents early next year. (The AFR remains the least link-friendly newspaper in Australia, but there’s a summary of the article at Business Spectator, and Australia Post has subsequently confirmed the plan.)
The last price rise was in September 2008. Given the current mood of economic nervousness, getting approval from the ACCC might be a hard road to hoe. (News reports about lazy postal workers hording thousands of letters don’t help, of course.)
Personally, I hardly ever send standard letters anymore, though I’m a big fan of Express Post), so I’m not that fussed about the rise (and on a purely subjective level, I like round numbers better as well). Moves like Telstra’s fee for paying bills by post also suggest that we’re rapidly moving away from letters and embracing electronic alternatives.
But I’m wondering what Lifehacker readers think. How much do you use standard postal services now? Does a price rise seem justified? Send your thoughts through the comments.
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