Candy Lawrence has written a letter to minister Anika Wells and senator Katy Gallagher and included Federal MP Kevin Hogan and State MP Richie Williamson about the Post Office Network & Licensed Post Office Reimagined plan for automated post offices. Candy uses the Coraki Post Office and doesn’t want to lose it.
Dear Ms Wells and Ms Gallagher,
I was horrified to discover that there is a proposal afoot to automate our rural Post Office at Coraki into a wall of machinery instead the wonderful community service centre that currently exists.
Paul Kelly and Steve Taylor have made the world of difference to our community since they took over the Coraki Post Office. They know their customers by name and are endlessly patient.
The Coraki Post Office currently provides a way to pay bills and withdraw cash as well as to access the usual postal services, all without having to step into a car to travel further afield, all while having a feeling of human connection with the current owners which is terribly important for lonely, isolated, older folks.
We already have a mental health crisis with the world in such disarray, and you’re about to pull the rug out from under more vulnerable people.
With the price of petrol as it is, anyone with tight constraints on their spending and lacking technological skills will struggle to access their money and pay their bills. It’s not like we have a bank in town anymore.
This is a financially depressed area with many disadvantaged, Indigenous and older residents who struggle to pay for food, rent/mortgage, heating/cooling and fuel for their vehicles.
Many of these people have neither the hardware nor the technical skills to pay bills via the internet.
We are all constantly frustrated by the blinkered view of those in power who assume that everyone in this country has access to every technical innovation and the seamless skills needed to overcome the endless frustrating flaws in website design demonstrated by government sites.
Many of us already have little to no mobile coverage since Telstra in its wisdom decided to shut down 3G, and now you want to further disadvantage us by taking away our access to a human-run postal service? Shame on you all.
Has it occurred to you that the brilliant idea of sending people a text message to tell them their parcel has arrived doesn’t work unless you have reliable mobile service? No?
Paul and Steve are friendly, incredibly helpful and willing to go the extra mile to help locals access essential services and understand the requirements of complex transactions such as sending parcels overseas.
Their help has enabled me as a small business owner to maintain a sensible financial model when sending products both around Australia and across the world.
We are all sick to death of cruelty masquerading as ‘economic management’.
Just stop it. Leave our Post Office alone.
Yours faithfully,
Candy Lawrence
Gibberagee