The Communication Workers Union is calling for an audit of the lease arrangements for all post offices in the ACT and NSW, with the revelation the Civic Square post office in Canberra will close before Christmas after being on a month-to-month lease for an estimated two years.
The union's NSW/ACT secretary Shane Murphy said the post office had been informed by the Canberra Centre's owners, Queensland Investment Corporation, it had to vacate the space on Bunda Street by the end of November, at the height of the Christmas parcel and mail rush.
"I got a phone call from the [Australia Post] state manager last Friday informing me that they've received a very recent notice from the building owner that they've got to vacate the premises by November," Mr Murphy said.
An Australia Post spokesperson confirmed the post office would be closing on November 30 and no replacement had been found.
"Unfortunately, there are no suitable alternative locations within Canberra Centre," a statement from Australia Post read.
"Both Canberra GPO and Braddon post office are located within 1km and will continue to provide a full range of postal services for the area.
"We apologise for any inconvenience."
The spokesperson said the month-to-month lease arrangement had been in place "since the pandemic". Australia Post has been asked to clarify when exactly the month-to-month lease actually started.
The union believed it was alarming that a community service such as a post office had been put on a month-to-month lease, offering no security.
"Why we are running a postal service, which this community relies upon, on a month-to-month basis for such a long time, without having a secured lease, is just astounding," Mr Murphy said.
Mr Murphy said staff were briefed this week about the closure.
"They were very angry and upset and I was in their presence via the telephone, along with my organiser and management, and we are considering a community campaign on seeking them to reopen the post office in a different location," he said.
"They have given no commitment. Their plan is to move staff into other post offices across Canberra.
"We're also now asking for a list of all post offices across NSW and the ACT and what their current leasing arrangements are because I've since heard there are many others on month-to-month leases.
"A government business enterprise cannot provide a community service running on a month-to-month leasing arrangement.
"Australia Post is now using it as an excuse to close the post office and not reopen it somewhere else."
It's understood the Civic Square post office has about five or six employees who, it's believed, would be redeployed by Australia Post to other post offices in Canberra.
Australia Post has said there will be no job losses.
Why Australia Post has been asked to vacate that space of the Canberra Centre is unclear.
Canberra Centre general manager Gary Stewart said, in a statement, it was responding to "the evolving demands of our local community".
"We have been working with Australia Post on a potential relocation for some time, however this outcome now provides us with the opportunity to refresh our retail mix at Canberra Centre," Mr Stewart said.
"At this stage it is still too early to provide any more detail about what will replace Australia Post, but we look forward to sharing further updates with our community as our planning progresses.
"Canberra Centre continues to experience strong demand for retail space, and we remain committed to providing a retail experience that meets the evolving demands of our local community."
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