The Australian Government and Australia Post Invest in Strengthening Postal Services Across the Pacific

The Australian Government and Australia Post announce a new Pacific Postal Development Partnership to strengthen postal services in the Pacific by signing a joint declaration with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and Asian-Pacific Postal Union (APPU).

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Announced in Bangkok on the sidelines of the 13th APPU Congress, the partnership will improve the efficiency and security of postal services between Australia and Pacific island countries, benefiting consumers and businesses, including the estimated 200,000 people living in Australia with Pacific Island heritage.

To support the three-year partnership, the Government has provided Australia Post with a $450,000 contribution to target improvements to postal systems, processes, technology and training in the region.

“The Australian Government’s contribution will support the Pacific engaging with the world and taking advantage of new economic opportunities and people-to-people links, as well as improve postal services for Australians engaging with the Pacific,” said Michelle Rowland, MP, Minister for Communications.

Funding will be supplemented by Australia Post’s expertise and in-kind support, including equipment that can help meet the needs of Pacific postal operators.

The signing of this landmark joint declaration brings Australia closer together with key multilateral institutions in the postal sector and aligns Australia Post’s respective efforts.

Australia Post Commitment Boost to Regional Postal Operators

The declaration will enable a coordinated approach to regional postal development, supporting Pacific island countries to continue to modernize their postal services, capture emerging opportunities and new markets, and showcase the value of the region’s postal sector globally.

Postal services in the Pacific are some of the most under-developed as measured by the UPU’s Postal Development Index.

This impacts businesses and consumers through slower average delivery times, disruption and delays.

With the ongoing digitization of the global economy, further investments will boost the ability of Pacific island countries to capture new market opportunities and meet consumer expectations to deliver secure, timely and efficient postal services.

The Government and Australia Post will work with Pacific postal operators and governments to identify specific activities to be delivered to meet their individual needs. The first activities are expected to commence by the end of 2022.

“Australia is committed to multilateral cooperation to uphold the international rules-based order and address global challenges — and the postal sector is no exception. This new Pacific partnership underscores our commitment.” Pat Conroy MP, Minister for International Development and the Pacific.

This partnership builds on Australia Post’s annual contribution of over $1.3 million to the Universal Postal Union to support global postal cooperation, and additional contributions such as a four-year commitment to further the global postal sector’s response to climate change.