Despite a gallant effort from the Tura Beach Newsagency, a petition with thousands of signatures and a letter from the mayor, it looks like Tura Beach will not be getting a fully functional post office.
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Bega Valley Shire Mayor Michael Britten wrote a letter to the Department of Communication and the Arts in October to show support for the petition for Australia Post to establish a Licensed Post Office (LPO) at Tura Beach.
In late November Cr Britten received a reply from Don Scavone, the director of postal services, who said there are no plans to open a new post office in the area.
“Australia Post is of the view that Tura Beach residents currently have adequate access to postal services via the outlets in Merimbula, Pambula and Wolulma,” Mr Scavone said.
Under its Franchise Code of Conduct, Australia Post must consider the impact of changes to the network on existing LPO licensees.
“Australia Post believes that it is unlikely that opening a LPO at Tura Beach will generate significant new business.
"Rather, it is more likely to draw customers from the surrounding outlets, potentially affecting the viability of the LPOs in Merimbula, Pambula and Wolumla,” he said.
Tura Beach resident Jon Gaul also wrote a letter to the Minister for Communications and while he has had a number of telephone conversations from the department, he is yet to receive a formal reply.
He said Australia Post’s response to the mayor didn’t address the reason behind the need for post office in Tura Beach, the elderly.
“All aspects of parking and access at Tura Beach are far superior than Merimbula and far easier for elderly residents,” Mr Gaul said.
“It is very hard for the older population to use the Merimbula Post Shop.”
Mr Gaul talked to a spokesperson at the Department of Communications to see if it would be possible to reach a compromise and simply allow for bills to be paid in Tura Beach, but that was quickly shut down.
Since the push for a post office at Tura Beach started, the federal government has also made the Merimbula Post Office a Medicare agent.
“In my opinion, this is going to significantly exacerbate the already well-known overcrowding, queuing and especially access problems for older people at the Merimbula Post Shop,” he said.
Mr Gaul has vowed to continue to campaign for a fully functioning post office at Tura Beach.
