Perth Voice Interactive

THE North Perth Post Office has closed again.

On April 30 the doors were closed and a sign put up saying the store had “ceased trading” but expected parcels could be picked up from a temporary counter Australia Post had set up down the road.

For other post office services, the sign directed people to Mt Lawley, Mt Hawthorn or Leederville.

It’s a bad time for the store to vanish as other inner city post offices are temporarily shuttered due to coronavirus impacts, including the Northbridge office on Francis Street, the CBD’s Cloisters Square office, and West Perth’s Hay Street office. 

The North Perth store’s operators did a similar disappearing act in March 2019 when the franchisee quit. Australia Post got in a new operator but details are scarce on what happened with them and AP isn’t feeling chatty.

Federal MP for Perth Patrick Gorman is fuming about the sudden shutdown and lack of communication.

He’s penned a letter to Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate about the situation.

“I understand that there have been a number of issues between Australia Post and the licensee, however the timing of the post office closure amid the current Covid-19 pandemic will cause the North Perth community much confusion and distress,” he wrote.

As with last year’s mystery closing, we weren’t able to get much more out of AP. 

A spokesperson says AP “can’t comment extensively” on what went down at the North Perth store but that they’d work to restore services. They did say express packages could still be lodged at the temporary counter. 

Mr Gorman’s letter seeks an assurance North Perth will have a permanent post office presence in future (that doesn’t shut down mysteriously and annually).

By DAVID BELL