Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman has intensified her campaign for improved postal services following the closure of the Kurmond Local Post Office, challenging Australia Post to address mounting community frustrations.

Residents have reported significant delays and difficulties collecting parcels since the local post office closure in September. 

"Residents from the Kurmond and Kurrajong areas have reported very long and frustrating wait times in accessing parcels," Templeman stated in a media release. "I've raised the complaints that I've received with Australia Post. This week, when I met with them in Parliament House, I again stressed the urgency to have this matter addressed."

Speaking to Hawkesbury Post, Templeman said: "The closure of the Kurmond Post Office has thrust the community into a logistical challenge, with residents facing increasingly lengthy parcel collection processes."

"The closure of Kurmond PO has had flow-on effects across multiple other post office locations, and there's no doubt the community deserves greater convenience for their package deliveries," she said. 

The bulk of parcels have been redirected to Kurrajong Post Office. 

Many people have reported using the Australia Post app to redirect their parcel deliveries to alternative post offices like Grose Vale and North Richmond. On Facebook, Karen Chapman wrote: "Download (the) Australia Post app and choose another post office to pick up all your parcels. It works well. I go to Grose Vale, no wait.” HP is aware of several others who have similarly redirected their parcels away from the Kurrajong Post Office to ease the pressure on wait times for themselves and others. 

On Facebook, Lyndon Russo suggested that "A larger shop front (for Kurrajong PO) might help as well as more staff," anticipating that the situation will only intensify as Christmas approaches.

An excerpt from one email to Susan Templeman (posted publicly on social media) reads: "There is no need to offer to you this is a disaster - adding to the lack of infrastructure west of "the river". With the increasing population, the strain on the options offered is unimaginable, all of which are overloaded….with the ever-expanding Redbank & Belmont & Grose Vale (over) developments alone, it beggars belief how residents using that outlet will cope."

Kurrajong Franchisee Mark Robinson insists the impact has been minimal. "Kurmond closing has hardly had any effect on Kurrajong PO load. It's about 7% extra work!" he wrote on Facebook on Thursday, 28 November, attributing the current challenges to the peak Black Friday and Christmas shopping periods.

Community feedback tells a more nuanced story. Ryan Winter's frustrated Facebook post captures the sentiment of many: "The issue isn't the post office; the issue is the sub-standard delivery we accept in our area. The fact that it's 2024 and we can't get Australia Post to deliver a parcel to our properties, but Amazon can do it for free in 2 days is an absolute embarrassment."

Templeman told the Hawkesbury Post: "I have been advocating for Australia Post to improve access to parcel deliveries and install parcel lockers at various locations well before the closure of the Kurmond post office."

Proposed bespoke parcel lockers aim to provide residents with 24/7 package access, addressing current collection inefficiencies. However, there needs to be more clarity about their exact location, with conflicting statements from Mark Robinson and Australia Post. While Robinson suggested installation at Kurrajong Post Office "in coming weeks", an Australia Post email to one resident indicates plans for a locker at the Kurmond BP Station: "At present, Australia Post has plans to deploy a parcel Locker at the Kurmond BP Station and at present working with the network to support the community and the Post Office through the peak Christmas period," it said. 

Not all community members are critical. Kurby Kurby offered a more philosophical perspective on social media, imploring people to "Be kind and think of other people's situations," reminding fellow residents that compassion should prevail even in frustrating circumstances.

Templeman remains committed to her advocacy. “Having a parcel sent to you shouldn't be a stressful or inconvenient experience, and Australia Post has the means to make it better in Hawkesbury," she said.