Sebas postal operator sought after closure

AFTER the relocation of Sebastopol’s post office from Albert Street to Delacombe Town Centre in early 2021, Australia Post is now seeking to re-establish a community postal agency in the suburb.

Until Friday 18 August, AusPost is accepting expressions of interest from small businesses who would be willing to operate postal services in Sebastopol, as an addition to their store.

Although AusPost supported the former Sebastopol licensee to make the move to the growing Delacombe Town Centre at the loss of Albert Street’s long-time post office, a spokesperson from AusPost said their network has been reassessed.

The spokesperson said the organisation has reviewed the network and received community feedback that aligns with that review, and now AusPost is taking steps to reinstate a postal outlet in Sebastopol.

“Operating a postal agency is a rewarding way to provide essential community services, and Australia Post is calling out for expressions of interest from small business owners in Sebastopol,” the spokesperson said.

“Our decision to establish a new agency follows on from the relocation of the post office from Sebastopol to Delacombe in 2019.

“Community postal agencies typically operate from within another small business, and we encourage local business owners to speak with us about what this opportunity might look like for them.”

There was much protest from Sebastopol community members when the local post office closed more than two years ago.

The area has a large population of elderly residents, and many cannot easily access Delacombe Town Centre, if at all.

The shopping centre is 3.25 kilometres from the former Birdwood Avenue-Albert Street corner Post Office, as the crow flies, and the Redan and Mount Clear post offices are within a three-kilometre radius of the old site.

Customers of the former Sebastopol Post Office not only used it to receive and send letters and packages, but to complete their banking after the closure of the long-running Albert Street Commonwealth Bank.

When it was announced in 2020 that the Sebastopol licensees would be moving to Delacombe and the local branch would close, Federal Member for Ballarat Catherine King rallied alongside residents, calling for Australia Post to reverse the decision or put the franchise up for tender.

The AusPost spokesperson said the final decision made sense at the time, but now, finding a good agent with customer service experience that will support the community in the centre of Sebastopol is of the highest priority.

Community postal agencies are generally within small businesses like milk bars and general stores, newsagents, and gift shops.