Australia Post ordered to pay couple thousands after refusing to deliver parcels to them

A couple fed-up with their parcels not being delivered properly has successfully sued Australia Post – with the service ordered to pay them thousands in compensation. 

Wade Short and Veronica Lisbon’s stoush with their local postie began in early 2020 when Mr Short would notice their parcels would either be left near the door or a collection slip left in mailbox without knocking to see if anybody was home. 

On one occasion the delivery driver threw one of the parcels up the front steps of his Melbourne house and left – later saying the stairs were not up to safety standards. 

In June that year, Mr Short waited outside one afternoon for the postie to arrive and after handing him a parcel, he told the worker he had made complaints to Australia Post about his poor service.

The postie argued that his stairs were a hazard which is why he had not been delivering the packages to the door.

‘He then snatched the parcel back from me and said, ‘fine, from now on you can go to the post office to pick up your parcels’,’ Mr Short told the Herald Sun. 

Days later the couple received a letter saying parcels would not be delivered to their address anymore because of health and safety concerns. 

Over the following months Mr Short had to make regular trips to the post office to collect his parcels and despite making multiple complaints to Australia Post, received no response.

Some parcels contained medication for his daughter or supplies for his party hire business. 

He then lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman before going to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal claiming Australia Post was breaching their responsibilities under Australian Consumer Law. 

The postal workers union said ‘carding’ where a collection slip is left without trying to properly deliver a parcel is growing increasingly common (file image) 

VCAT found in favour of Mr Short and ordered the company to pay $3,100.53 to cover the multiple trips he made to collect parcels and his legal fees.

Tribunal member Neill Campbell found that Australia Post had not shown ‘due care and skill’ when delivering the parcels and that the driver had stopped deliveries because of the complaints rather than a hazard.

Australia Post said they respect VCAT’s ruling and would recommence deliveries to Mr Short’s address. 

In 2021, the postal worker’s union said the practice of ‘carding’ where a collection slip is left without checking if anyone is home is growing increasingly common.

The union claimed the use of subcontracters who are paid per delivery encouraged the cutting of corners so more parcels can be delivered in a shift.