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Copmanhurst residents want a regular mail delivery service and don’t understand why their requests aren’t being heard. Image: Emma Pritchard.

Regular mail service wanted in Copmanhurst

There’s only one thing Copmanhurst residents want from Australia Post, and it’s not Cartier watches.
All they want is a regular mail service.
Currently, people living in the small rural village, which boasts a population of around 300, head to the Rest Point Hotel to pick up their mail between 10am and 12pm, Monday to Friday.
They don’t know if they have letters waiting for them until they arrive, and if they have larger parcels, they’re required to travel into Grafton to collect them, roughly a 60km round trip.
After moving to Copmanhurst within the last two years, Janine Jasper was astonished to discover her new community did not have regular mail delivery.
Determined to find out why and eager to uncover the thoughts of her new neighbours, Ms Jasper went doorknocking and spoke to several residents who informed her Australia Post only delivers mail to properties on the outskirts of the village, but not within the confines of Copmanhurst.
“For the life of me, I just don’t understand why Copmanhurst doesn’t have mail delivery,” Ms Jasper said.
“It just seems so wrong.
“Why can there be mail delivery to the edge of town and mail delivery from the other side of town, but no mail delivery in town?
“Eatonsville are a little town nearby and they get mail delivery, why can’t Copmanhurst?”
Ms Jasper also suggested Australia Post “would look really good if they put someone on as a postie out here” to take charge of a regular mail delivery.
“It would only take an hour a day to deliver mail in Copmanhurst, it’s not a very big place, and it would give someone a job out here because jobs are always needed in the country and in small communities.”
Driven by her determination, Ms Jasper approached the office of Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan for assistance and on their recommendation, she prepared a petition to lobby Australia Post to provide mail delivery in Copmanhurst which was signed by over 100 residents.
“It was overwhelming how many disgruntled people there are in Copmanhurst who want a regular mail delivery service,” Ms Jasper said.
“That’s all we’re asking for.”
In an email addressed to Mr Hogan regarding street mail delivery in Copmanhurst and extended operating hours for local mail collection, Australia Post wrote the following response:
In assessing the request from community members, we conducted a thorough review of mail services in Copmanhurst to determine whether mail poll eligibility requirements have been met, and whether a mail delivery poll should proceed.
In evaluating the community’s request against the criteria in our Group Mail Delivery Poll policy, the measurements which require over the counter collection of an average of 220 articles per day were found to be well below the required parameters. As the current daily average of +/- 50 articles does not pass the minimum required threshold, any street delivery service could not be provided at reasonable cost.
In light of these findings, we will not be proceeding with a community mail poll, and delivery arrangements in Copmanhurst will remain unchanged.
Ms Jasper said while she and other community members are appreciative of the efforts of Mr Hogan in representing their expressions and concerns, they aren’t satisfied with the reply from Australia Post.
“We want a mail delivery service and we’ll continue to push for it.”