Australia Post suspends letter and parcel deliveries in Alice Springs after postie attacked
Australia Post is forced to cancel deliveries in the troubled Outback town after the postman was pelted with stones and threatened with a knife
- Australia Post does not deliver to any part of Alice Springs
- A 38-year-old postman was attacked twice
Australia Post said it will no longer deliver to much of Alice Springs after a 38-year-old postman was stone-pelted and threatened with a knife.
All mail and parcel services have been suspended in five blocks of Alice Springs following the terrifying series of violent attacks that left the veteran postman traumatized.
The Post sent a letter to residents of Sadadeen, in the east of the city, informing them that their service has been suspended indefinitely.
Their mail will instead be available for collection at the local post office.
“Australia Postal workers have a reasonable expectation to work and work in a safe environment,” the letter reads, the ABC reports.
Letter and parcel delivery services have been suspended indefinitely in five blocks of Alice Springs (above).
A veteran 38-year-old postman took stress leave last year after being threatened with a knife and pelted with stones
National Liberal member for Braitling, Josh Burgoyne, said the postman went on stress leave last year.
But upon their return, they were threatened with a knife while delivering the mail.
The Northern Territory Police are investigating these claims.
Mr Burgoyne said the Post’s concerns “must be taken very seriously”.
“When you’ve been in the business for 38 years, you don’t expect this to happen,” he said.
“I just want to say thank you to all the mailmen who go there and do a great job, but especially this particular person because they do a damn good job.”
He also called on the NT government agency Territory Families to investigate the mailman’s complaints.
National Liberal member for Braitling Josh Burgoyne (above) called on the NT government agency Territory Families to investigate the postman’s claims
“If there are people who are acting and behaving extremely badly and committing alleged offenses against our mail carriers, then things need to be done to make sure this stops,” he said.
Australia Post apologized for the ‘inconvenience’ caused by the suspension of the service, saying it is working with authorities ‘to create a safe working environment’.
The news follows several months of intense investigations into the NT government over increased violent crime in Alice Springs.
The community has experienced a high number of burglaries and assaults and called on the authorities to find a solution, especially with regard to the high level of juvenile delinquency.