Business
18 September, 2026
Council keen to see Tarago postal service retained
Goulburn-Mulwaree Council will look at what can be done to ensure postal services in Tarago are maintained.
Goulburn-Mulwaree Council will look at what can be done to ensure postal services in Tarago are maintained.
As previously reported by The Southern Wire, Australia Post’s existing agency in Tarago – Little Barn Tarago – will close towards the end of the month, leaving many residents of the small rural town fearing they will lose a vital service.
Australia Post has sought expressions of interest from other Tarago businesses interested in taking over the agency but it is unknown what the outcome of that process will be.
Expressions of interest closed last Friday (September 11).
Deputy mayor Caitlin Flint moved a Notice of Motion at council’s September meeting on Tuesday night that council “review any viable options to secure the future of Australia Post services in Tarago”.
Those options could include providing Australia Post with a vacant parcel of land (at a commercial rate) for the provision of Post Office boxes or Locked Boxes.
Cr Flint urged council to consider its role “in ensuring we don’t lose a valued and vital service from our area”.
“Let’s do everything we can to hold on to what we have because once it’s gone, it’s hard to get back”.
Speaking on Tuesday night, Cr Flint said postal services were “critical” in communities like Tarago.
“When services like this are reduced or removed from rural towns, the impact is rarely small,” Cr Flint said.
“And it is felt by most people who already face distance, limited transport options, unreliable connectivity, mobility challenges, caring responsibilities (and) time pressures from work and farming life.
“It is felt by the older residents in particular, by local businesses and by families and by those who simply cannot drive to the next town whenever a letter or parcel needs to be collected and we all know we have a huge reliance on our postal service these days.”
Australia Post has advised The Southern Wire that some Tarago businesses responded to the call for Expressions of Interest before the September 11 closing date, so council’s involvement might not be required.
However, Tuesday night’s decision signalled a commitment to doing whatever it can to help maintain an “essential” service in the event that another operator cannot be found to take over the postal agency.
Cr Flint said it was an opportunity for council to “stand with Tarago and to say council is willing to be part of the solution”.
Council’s general manager Scott Gallacher said it would now be a case of reaching out to Australia Post “to better understand options and opportunities”.
Cr Christoper O’Mahony said he was a bit “conflicted” over the Notice of Motion and questioned whether it was within council’s remit.
He also argued that Australia Post would be shutting down at some stage in the future “and that’s just that”.
Cr Flint said it was a case of council helping to future-proof the service “even if it’s only for five years”.
She said Locked Boxes offered a practical solution as they provided “secure, reliable and centralised access” to mail and supported residents who required “consistency and certainty”.
She said they would reduce the need for Tarago residents to travel elsewhere for basic postal needs.
“Most importantly, they send a message that rural communities should not have to accept the slow erosion of essential services as inevitable,” Cr Flint said.
“As councillors, we often speak about liveability, access equity and support for our villages.
“This is an opportunity to put those principles into action.”
--------------
Subscribe to The Southern Wire Newsletter for free at the link below.
https://subscribe-forms.beehiiv.com/1986abc6-c89e-4781-9db2-cf35c9dd71e4
If you value independent local journalism across the Highlands, Tablelands and Wollondilly, please click the link below to support us to ensure we remain paywall free.
Read More: Southern Tablelands, Tarago