Angry residents are sending a message to Australia Post after it was revealed its Silverwater branch will no longer operate on Saturdays.
Australia Post has confirmed the busy post office at the Silverwater Business Centre will no longer be open for business on Saturdays from February 24 onwards.
The announcement has caused frustration among residents, with a petition being started online calling on Parramatta Council to advocate for the Silverwater post office to remain open on Saturdays.
“Australia Post has recently posted a sign at the Silverwater Business Hub advising that they will be stopping the collection hours on Saturdays from 24th February, 2024,” the petition said.
“Australia Post provides a vital service for our community and this location is constantly busy on Saturdays, showing the need for this service to continue.”
The petition received the support of City of Parramatta Council at the latest meeting, with Councillor Patricia Prociv saying people in the local area “need this service”.
“For the people in Olympic Park, Wentworth Point and Newington, this is the only access they have to a post office,” Prociv said.
“They rely on the post office at Silverwater to collect their parcels on Saturdays, the queues at Australia Post on Saturdays are over an hour, sometimes an hour-and-a-half long.”
At the time this story was written, just under 100 people had signed the petition.
A spokesperson for Australia Post told Parra News the Silverwater Business Centre will cease operating a Saturday parcel collection service from February 24, following a review of the level of customers using the service.
“The outlet offers free 24/7 parcel lockers where customers can collect parcels at any time at their convenience or they can continue to collect parcels on weekdays during operating hours,” the spokesperson added.
The Silverwater branch will continue to operate Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm. The news comes after Australia Post shut down its Westfield Parramatta office last year.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.