Postage and courier

Postage meters and Australia Post charge accounts

Ministerial and Parliamentary Services supplies a postage meter (franking machine) for your primary electorate office. This device imprints postage paid on material to be mailed, with credit downloaded from Australia Post through a modem.

You will need to establish an Australia Post charge account. This is a private arrangement between yourself and Australia Post. While the standard credit limit is $25,000, you may contact Australia Post directly to vary the amount.

When the credit is exhausted or running low on your postage meter, your office can download credit from Australia Post, usually in $500 and $1,000 blocks, subject to the balance remaining in your Australia Post charge account.

Postage meter charges are automatically billed to your nominated Australia Post charge account. Charges for the dominant purpose of your parliamentary business may be claimed from your office expenses budget.

You may also claim, from your office expenses budget, Australia Post account charges for bulk postage organised through your local post office. The postage must be for the dominant purpose of your parliamentary business.

You cannot claim the purchase of stamps or stamped envelopes from your office expenses budget. However, if you wish to have access to stamps, your parliamentary department may make these available to you to the value of $1,800 each financial year. If you choose to receive this allocation, it will be deducted from your office expenses budget.

Postage meter readings

Postage meter readings are taken at the end of each financial year to calculate remaining funds available from the annual budget for office expenses for the following year. Readings may also be taken at other times, for example, prior to a Federal election. Readings are obtained remotely by Pitney Bowes or can be done manually.

For training in the operation of postage meters, contact Pitney Bowes.

Postage costs for official duties

Postage costs for the official duties of a Minister or Assistant Minister are administered by the relevant portfolio department, and for a Presiding Officer by the relevant parliamentary department.

MaPS will provide a postage meter for postage expenses for official duties for each senior office holder who is a member of the Opposition and for the leader of a minority party.

Postage costs for official duties are not subject to your office expenses budget provided for your parliamentary and electorate duties, or the conditions that apply to your office expenses budget.

Postage costs for your official duties are included in your expenditure reports to any postage transactions met under your office expenses budget.

Invoices for postage costs

All pages of the Australia Post invoices must be submitted to MaPS through PEMS immediately upon receipt. If PEMS is unavailable, complete the Certification and request for payment - office expenses form.

In order to have the invoice paid on time and to avoid a late fee from Australia Post, IPEA needs to receive the invoice and certification at least 5 business days before the invoice due date to allow for processing and certification of the account. Accounts received with less than 5 business days until they are due will not be processed in time and will incur a late fee.

If you have reached your monthly credit limit and the account has not been paid, Australia Post will put a block on the account.

Courier and freight transfer costs

You may claim from your annual budget for office expenses courier or other freight transfer costs for transferring documents and other small items for your parliamentary business between your offices.