Coming Postal Chaos !

Have you ever wondered how it is possible to put an Australian stamp on a letter that will eventually end up in the letterbox of some house on the other side of the world ?  Our postal service is owned by the Australian government and the stamps they issue are simply another means of government revenue.

World wide mail delivery is governed by a 144 year old treaty between  192 member countries that ensures that the stamp from each country is honoured by way of universal mail delivery, but that does come at a cost.  Each of those countries contributes a fee that was set in the 1960's on the basis of each country's population and economic development - and that has been unchanged since.

That agreement will be subjected to a regular meeting at the end of this month and Donald Trump is threatening to withdraw the United States unless member fees are brought into line with current member status.  It is obvious that his target is China.   In 1960 China was emerging from a civil war and had a vastly agrarian economy, causing the Chinese contribution to be set at a very low figure.

In todays world, China is emerging as the world's greatest economy and this electronic era sees much commerce travel to its destination through the mail system.   China now enjoys a big advantage at the cost of other developed nations.  If America withdraws, other nations seem sure to follow and a new system will emerge where individual postage will be required for each world country.

It will probably involve a visit to the post office to have them issue a stamp from the delivery nation involved to cover the cost of their postal service accepting and delivering that letter item.  It is a fact of life that both internal and international mail volumes are constantly falling as electronic communications fill the gap.  Adding inconvenience to the post will enhance that trend.

We are noticing that the mail is getting slower.   What used to be an overnight service now takes several days and if this international treaty lapses this delay will lengthen.  Ending a swift and reliable overseas mail exchange will create a new problem where overseas residents have the right to cast a vote in elections where they still hold citizenship.

Electronic voting is not permitted in many jurisdictions and the system in place requires official voting papers to reach that voter, be actioned and returned before a nominated cut off date.  In such instances where timing is critical voters may find themselves disenfranchised simply because the mail system is slow.

Australia is a country that has welcomed many migrants and many enjoy the benefits of joint citizenship.  That contributes the ability to cast a vote in their old country and that vote is required to meet the requirements set by that country's legal system.  Australian citizens who are overseas at the time of an election usually  cast an absentee vote.

If America withdraws from this postal agreement a collapse seems inevitable.  What is now simple and efficient looks likely to deliver postal mayhem on a troubled world  !