The Australian Postcode System

            A postal code which is also recognized in various countries as postcode or ZIP code is a series of letters and/or digits attached to a postal address serving the purpose of sorting mail. Geographical areas are usually assigned with such codes. But sometimes, there are also individual addresses or institutions with large volumes of post like the government agencies and large commercial companies where special codes are assigned. (Wikipedia 2006)

            In Australia, postcodes were introduced by the Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) in 1967. PMG was the predecessor of the Australia Post, the government-owned monopoly postal service of Australia. Australian postcodes are steering information where single bounded contiguous geographical area like the suburb or town is often associated. (Wikipedia 2006)

            These codes also sometimes have quite multifaceted geography especially in parts of the country beyond the urban border like the Southern Queensland. In the same way, some Australian postcodes cover hefty population like the City of Toowoomba where the 4350 postcode serves some 100, 000 people. (Wikipedia 2006)

            Australian postcodes are four digits long and written after the name of the city, suburb, town and state or territory (refer to Exhibit 1). An abbreviation is also used even though the first digit of the postal code already indicates the state or territory (refer to Exhibit 2). However, this does not apply to Australia's External Territories such as the Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and Cocos (Kneeling) Islands (refer to Exhibit 3). Similarly, the two separate postcodes distinguishes each state or territory where for street addresses, it ends with the digits "00" and for PO Box addresses, it ends with the digits "01"(refer to Exhibit 4). Additionally, new postcode ranges were introduced for PO Box and large users in the cities of Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in the late 1990s (refer to Exhibit 5). (Wikipedia 2006)

            Conversely, even though postcode areas in Australia are made-up to match up with state and territory boundaries, there are many exceptions as of 22 September 2005. This is being taken by the own query of the public database of Australia Post (refer to Exhibit 6). On one hand, some or all of the postcodes presented in Exhibit 5 may span two states. The postcode 2630 which covers both a village in NSW (Gundaroo) and the community in the ACT (Hume) where the postcode is within the ACT range is the examples. (Wikipedia 2006)

            To facilitate the efficient processing and delivery of mail to customers is the main used of Australian postcodes which are allocated to geographic areas officially gazetted by Australian land agencies. Likewise, the Australian Post does not record those unofficial or non-gazetted localities in their postcode database. The local council or shire recommends localities and their proposed boundaries for gazettal while land agencies are responsible for the gazettal of localities. In the first instance, the local council or shire should be contact customers having concerns in relation to a locality. (Australia Post 2005)

             Similarly, the operational efficiency such as the configuration of the Australia Post network, transportation connections and delivery arrangement are the basis of the decision as to whether a new Australian postcode or an existing postcode is to be allocated to Australian locality. On the other side, changes are only made where significant reasons for change are established because the adoption of new or changed postcodes by customers is slow. If the change will lead to either enhanced service to Australian Post customers or operational efficiency of the organization then a postcode change will be considered where consultation of such change with the local council/shire and residents will involve. (Australia Post 2005)

            Generally, to ensure that either postcode can be processed from the date of effect for a limited period without reducing service to customers, Australia Post's procedures involve implementing any postcode change from a specified date and the Corporation takes action. (Australia Post 2005)

            The postcode, on one hand, has profitable uses for every organization because this simple piece of information is the key to integrate the diverse sets of data about the existing and potential customers. Over other possible keys, postcodes have clear advantage because they are widely used and understood. One of these is the use of postcodes in increasing the profits of a company. (Borrett 1993)

            It is easy to determine the sales distribution of the range of products sold if the company has on file the postcode of every customer because it is easy to spot which products do best in particular areas and thus, they can plan a targeted marketing campaign for those products in similar areas. Equally, the company can make use of the postcode information on customers to plan balanced sales territories. (Borrett 1993)

            The company can also identify attractive new office locations by analyzing the postcode information on customers together with competitor locations and key landmarks. Moreover, by postcode, the company can analyze policy claims. Accordingly, it is easy to identify customers living in areas prone to flooding, fire or crime through this analysis, thus policy rates can be adjusted. (Borrett 1993)

            However, only few done this even if the concept of using postcodes as the key to unfasten increased profits are applicable to most of the businesses. This happens because they do not think spatially by not considering where their customers are located and the brunt that has on how their actions need to be structured to provide best for those customers. Also, the location of existing customers which has implied to where the potential other customers can be found gets little consideration from the organizations.

            In opposition, the Australia, at present, already removed the barriers of using postcode as the key to integrating diverse geographically related data sets. Australia Post's boundaries had been officially mapped and made available as a digital data set for use in computer systems. The Australia Post teamed up with the Australian Surveying and Land Information Group (AUSLIG) with a goal to map and digitize the postcode boundaries of Australia and make them available for use by industry, commerce and government in 1991. (Borrett 1993)

            Over 2,000 base maps ranging in scale from 1:1,000,000 to 1:10,000 were chosen and distributed to Australia Post's post offices to cover this vast continent which required the high degree of accuracy. The postcode boundaries were plotted by the postal managers onto the maps which were then checked and handed back to AUSLIG to be digitized. The AUSLIG had completed the process of digitizing the postcode boundaries from the maps by February 1992 where an extremely rigorous set of quality control checks at all stages of the digitizing work were undertaken to ensure the high accuracy standards set had been met or exceeded. (Borrett 1993)

            The Australia Post and AUSLIG is now able to study the overseas examples and produce what is arguably the most accurate and comprehensive postcode boundary data set available in any nation with these postcodes. Generally, to recognize the opportunities created by grabbing the key and unlocking the doors to increased profits through postcodes now lies to the Australian industry, commerce and government. (Borrett 1993)