"Australia Post provides postal services in Australia and its overseas territories. "Australia Post" is the trading name, Australian Postal Corporation (formerly the Australian Postal Commission) is the Australian-Government-owned entity responsible for the services."

As Aust. Post is Government owned why is it competing with local small businesses and selling lollies, music discs, entertainment videos, stationery, greeting cards, printer paper etc., etc?

One would think that Government could be helping small businesses not competing with them.

That's how I see it when SBS runs ads in competition with private TV.
ABC and SBS should run special interest shows which are not profitable but instead seem to make exact copies of private TV , again undercutting business.

Hi there LEOJ...

You're right, the number of times you'd pull in some aggressive loud mouth generally over some insignificant matter, they'd start to try and intimidate you by claiming they know (personally) the Commissioner or some other notable identity, in an effort to frightening you into cutting 'em loose or something.

The very closest I ever came, when I was still 'bright eyed and bushy tailed' as it were, was not a case of claiming who they knew, but something far far worse, bordering on corruption - actually I've mentioned the incident once before on the Forum. It was a criminal matter, specifically 'knowingly concerned'.

The antagonist was this utterly stunning looking woman who used all manner of her feminine charms and 'other' attributes, as a strong inducement to aid me into seeing my way clear to exculpate her from any complicity in the brief of evidence that I was in the process of assembling. Especially that precise section that was particularizing her substantial part in the matter. Talk about a 'femme fatale' you better believe it. It was close, but no cigar thankfully.

Dear rehctub,

Oh come off it mate. Pauline was only one of many calling his salary obscene. It was obviously unsustainable for a government looking to slash public sector workforces.

But here is the thing, he was getting private sector wages because Australia Post was corporatised to within an inch of its life as it was prepared by both governments to be sold off when they thought they might get away with it or the budget became too dire.

He is the very example of how private sector values serve to stuff up public monopolies when they are set for privatisation.

This bloke oversaw massive losses, doubling of letter prices, and the backward slide of delivery standards all on a 5 million dollar salary. All the while he painted a picture of a a loss making letter business being propped up by a profit making parcel division. It was all creative accounting done by not crediting the parcel division's use of the letter division's infrastructure.

Our local postal contractor is lucky to make $15 per hour. He has been screwed as have many other workers. In turn we have been screwed by poorer and more expensive services which have driven down volumes in a self fulfilling prophecy. The country has been screwed because higher prices have eroded the universal service obligations of Australia Post.

Other countries like the US have principled public sector head leading their postal services. We needed such principles at work for us instead we got an overpaid corporation type who have left us where we are now.

Aust. Post certainly is competing with business, & successfully, but at a cost.

They have sacked quite a few pasties, but when people stop sending letters, & use text or emails, there is not much point having people wandering around delivering none existent letters.

Interestingly they had to privatise the phone system to be able to reduce excess staff, so he has done well there.

They have for some time been competing with courier companies, & quite successfully. I now chose Aust. Post now for delivery of my large, bulky but light remote control plane kits. They are both slightly cheaper, & faster than the previous used couriers.

This has come at a cost to some. Our mail service is by private contractor. Our local long serving contractor, who has always used a "postie" motor bike was told he would have to buy a van to be able to handle the new courier home delivery business. He was not in a position to do this, & lost his business.

That is a pity, but it is probably only these changes that has kept Aust. Post viable. However no matter if he was doing a great job. paying Ahmen FAHOUR that sort of money is ridiculous. Keep it up Pauline.

Dear Hasbeen,

So when Turnbull appointed Ziggy as chair of the NBN who in turn appointed a new CEO at triple the salary ($3 million plus) of the previous head you were against this also?