TARPEENA will no longer have a dedicated post office space in town, after The Pines Hotel, which currently holds the licence, will close its Australia Post shopfront in October.
Post for the town will now be run out of Nangwarry, with parcel and letter street deliveries still to occur. The Border Watch understands if a parcel is unable to be delivered, it will be rerouted back to Nangwarry, where residents would have to drive to pick it up.
Residents outside the township who utilised the hotel to pick up their post will instead need to go to Nangwarry.
Australia Post said the decision was made by the licensee and not the company themselves.
“Postal products and services will continue to be available at Nangwarry Post Office, the nearest,” an Australia Post spokesperson said.
“This does not impact street mail delivery, which will continue.”
“Australia Post apologises for any inconvenience this change may cause and would like to thank the licensee for providing postal services to the community over the last four years.”
Barker MP Tony Pasin has expressed his disappointment with the decision, and has called on Australia Post to find a way to get a post office back into the town.
“I was extremely disappointed to learn of this decision as I believe Australia Post is an important institution in enabling thriving regional communities across the country,” Mr Pasin said.
“Postal services have been an integral element of Australian life since 1809, and despite advances in technology, remain just as important today.
“Tarpeena may be a small community of just a few hundred residents but the postal service in Tarpeena is one of many small communities around Australia who greatly value being part of our national postal network, particularly for those who are elderly, disabled or those who do not have easily accessible internet or transport.
“I have written to Australia Post expressing my disappointment and encouraging the organisation to investigate alternative options more closely, to ensure a local postal service for the Tarpeena community remains.”
