Aust Post plans to franchise.

Another legacy of Australia's great national icon's is about to hit the dust along with Vegemite and famous biscuits.

I wouldn't dismiss your argument,
It's hard to judge the validity of Unions on some occasions but let's assume they have a genuine grievance on this occasion and privatisation is put into effect.
Will the proprietors be prepared to work for such low rates, or will there be the inevitable price rises?
Whatever eventuates, I have a feeling this is going to be some bunfight.

(and thus union dues-paying members). How trained must one be to sell stamps? It is not a degradation of service that is the point but that someone who is not in the union can do what the union members can.
Point of fact is that anyone who is reasonably literate (I must make exception to a local postal clerk I ran into who apparently only speaks
Spanish) can be quickly trained to use a postal scale and figure rates.
Took me less than a minute for my wife to learn my postal scale. This does not seem to take over any jobs but just increase the potential places where customers can buys stamps, post mail and other over the counter services. I know these sorts of services are available here in the US and Canada.
The short of it is a union trying to huff and puff to make itself seem more necessary than it is.
Dave (just my 2c, which is not much these days)

Hang the post offices - what's this about Vegemite (which, I should add, is a New Zealand invention.)