Community anger rises after council pulls out of post office contract

In a closed session of their meeting on Thursday, May 9 councillors also decided to seek a valuation of the Orchard Street building "to assess available options."

In advising Australia Post of its decision, the council will also request that the mail company investigate opportunities for the postal service to be maintained in Taralga through private enterprise.

Eight councillors voted in favour, while Cr Jo Marshall was against.

The recommendation was part of a broader service cut, following last year's community rejection of a 63 per cent rate rise over three years.

The Post Office decision came despite 16 emails tendered to the meeting from residents protesting the suspected recommendation.

On Friday, community member, Gabi Keith, said she was was angered by the decision.

"I don't think it should happen," she said.

"The Post Office plays a big part in the town and everyone is disappointed to see it go. People pay their bills there, post items, do banking and pick up parcels. There is a lot of online shopping so I don't know how that will go after it closes. I would be very sad and angry to see it go."

Petitions opposing the closure are circulating in the general store, where Ms Keith works, the Taralga Hotel and Sports Club. Ms Keith said 100 people had already signed the store's petition.

If ceased, it would be the first time in more than 120 years that postal services weren't delivered from the 1897 building.

Another community member, Simon Greig, said there was "a fair amount of unhappy feeling" in the village and beyond. He criticised the council's "lack of consultation" before the matter went to a closed session. Mr Greig had offered to meet with the council one week ago when he first heard reports about the PO, but he told The Post that this was rejected.

He said residents would face a 100km round trip to Crookwell or Goulburn if the Post Office closed. He pointed out that some businesses used the service daily.

"A lot of elderly people can't jump in the car and go to Goulburn," Mr Greig said.

"It's disappointing that more services are being taken away. (The council says) decisions should be for the broader community benefit. Clearly, this is not."

Some 20 people attended a community meeting about the post office at Taralga Sports Club on Thursday, May 9. Mr Greig said many more were concerned about the decision.

However he hopes to meet with the council to have a "logical and meaningful" discussion about all available options. This included reversing the decision, sale or lease as a post office or the service's resumption somewhere else in town.' The community is also taking the matter up with Hume MP Angus Taylor and Goulburn MP, Wendy Tuckerman.

"We just want someone to be transparent because there's no business case that we're aware of for the decision," Mr Greig said.

The matter was discussed in closed session on the basis of that it concerned staff personnel. The Post understands four people are employed at the PO, including one full-time, one part-time and two casuals.

Mayor Pam Kensit said she supported the decision because Australia Post services were not the council's responsibility.

"The council is reviewing service levels for the entire organisation and is refocusing efforts to the continued delivery of core essential services to ensure long term financial sustainability without imposing a rate increase on...ratepayers," she said in a statement.

Consultants AEC Group suggested the Post Office's cessation in an October, 2023 efficiency review. They estimated an annual $78,000 saving and recommended that "core staff" be re-employed elsewhere in ULSC.

The community has questioned the council's legal ability to withdraw from the licence. In 2004, the council received $ $199,529 in federal funding to purchase and renovate the Post Office building from former licensees, Pat and Bob Hoares, and transform it into a community service centre with disabled access.

It was to offer Medicare services, a Bureau of Meteorology branch, a tourist information centre, council services and the Post Office.

But Cr Kensit said the money was less than half the project cost.

"The ongoing operational costs of the delivery the postal services is borne annually by the council," she said.

"As this was a grant and not to the full value of the service (ULSC) does not have an obligation to deliver Australia Post services in perpetuity. The council assesses the business operations annually. In addition, the council has made the commitment to work with Australia Post to investigate opportunities to maintain a postal service in Taralga through private enterprise."

Cr Kensit said a local business operator may see it as an opportunity to add to their enterprise. She hoped Australia Post would actively engage in talks with the business community.

Asked about the claimed lack of community consultation, the Mayor said the council determined service levels. AEC identified the cessation in their efficiency review, a document placed on public exhibition.

"It was also discussed as an identified efficiency during the SRV engagement session held in Taralga Memorial Hall in November, 2023," she said.

"Taralga Post Office staff have been engaged in the matter over an extended period of consultation."

The council will withdraw from the contract on August 9.

At the same meeting, councillors decided to abandon Crookwell Visitor Centre accreditation and charge commercial rates for all its leased buildings in an effort to identify efficiencies. Service levels on some sporting fields will also be reduced.