On 1 July, Australians will once again face higher Australia Post prices. Over the past decade, the cost of a standard stamp has surged from 70¢ in 2014 to $1.85, an increase of more than 160 per cent. It is not just the cost of stamps; Australia Post has also increased the price of parcel postage, large letters and business mail services. Local businesses in my electorate have also faced sharp increases to unaddressed mail services and fuel surcharges. For many Australians, especially older people, vulnerable residents and those in rural communities, traditional mail remains essential to receive bills, medical correspondence and government notices. Yet increasingly, this essential service is being treated less like a public good and more like a commercial product. Throughout the '80s and '90s, governments embraced privatisation, corporatisation and deregulation under the belief that markets operated more efficiently than the public sector. Mail services were not spared from this ideological experiment.

In 1989, under the Australian Postal Corporation Act, Australia Post was transformed into a government business enterprise. Over the past three decades it has steadily lost touch with its fundamental obligation of keeping Australians connected. This corporatised model increasingly treats communities as balance sheet liabilities and customers as revenue streams. While highly paid executives talk about "modernisation", many Australians and small businesses are being pushed to the wall. One such example is the Negotiator Magazine, a local publication that serves my electorate and much of Sydney. The monthly publication provides local business directories, discount vouchers, and advertising opportunities for small businesses trying to survive in what is an increasingly competitive local economy. For decades it has connected communities, supported local family businesses and helped residents save money. But this year, after rising postage and distribution costs, the publication ceased its printing operations. The latest price jump in Australia Post's unaddressed mail service was the final blow—an 18 per cent annual increase, which nearly doubled the magazine's distribution costs over the past decade.

One local business owner who previously advertised in Negotiator Magazine explained that the publication had been a central part of his marketing strategy for years, generating about 30 to 40 per cent of his business leads. He warned that the suspension of the magazine would have a devastating impact on his and many other local businesses that relied on the magazine. I have also heard from local families who relied on the Negotiator Magazine for discount coupons and offers that helped ease cost‑of‑living pressures. One local mum explained that she regularly used the magazine for discounts on children's play centre tickets, carpet cleaning services and other household expenses. With the cost of living continuing to rise, losing access to these local deals has meant that some activities and services have now become unaffordable for her.

Australia Post reports strong parcel growth and major operational efficiencies, including the introduction last year of new electric delivery trikes that reportedly increase carrying capacity by 400 per cent while reducing operating costs. Yet post offices keep closing, mail deliveries are reduced and prices continue to rise, all while executive bonuses continue to grow. Australia Post CEO Paul Graham reportedly received about $2.68 million in remuneration in 2023‑24, and $3.3 million the year after. Australians are rightly asking why they are being forced to subsidise exorbitant executive salaries while postal services decline year after year. We do not expect the Rural Fire Service to turn a profit, we do not expect public libraries to maximise shareholder returns, and we do not expect Medicare to operate like a multinational. The same principle must apply to postal services. Our universal postal service connects regional communities, supports democracy and allows communication regardless of wealth or geography.

Australia is a vast continent and Australians understand the importance of connection. At a time when many people already feel disconnected from governments and one another, the answer cannot be to make communication more expensive and less accessible. Under this corporatised model, Australia Post is trapped between public obligation and commercial pressure. The result is predictable: communities lose. Enough is enough. The Federal Government must finally acknowledge that this neoliberal experiment has failed. That does not mean ignoring financial realities or pretending that technology has not changed the way that we communicate, but it does mean recognising that essential services should exist to serve the public first.