Major parcel delivery delays as Australia Post struggles to cope with surge in demand

Australia Post has warned parcels delivery times may double as demand for the service surges in Victoria.

In the week beginning on August 2, the number of parcels being sent in the state was up 150 per cent year-on-year. That figure rose to 186 per cent last week.

Australia Post Executive General Manager of Business, Government and International, Gary Starr, said Victorians should allow an extra three days for parcel deliveries on both standard and express post services.

“If you lodged it today typically it would be two to three days, so you’d add three days to that,” he told Neil Mitchell.

Letter delivery times are not affected.

Mr Starr said those wanting to post parcels to Victorian addresses for Father’s Day should lodge them by this Friday, allowing nine days for delivery.

He also explained why some parcels posted from within Victoria to another Victorian address are going via Sydney.

“Sydney is not in Stage Four lockdown so they are working full shifts, so we have been moving some parcels to Sydney to be sorted there,” he said.

Mr Starr said Stage 4 restrictions mean Victorian post facilities are not running at full capacity.

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