Australia Post delivers on firearms following intervention by Senators

19 October 2021

Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie and Senator Dr Sam McMahon have facilitated a solution to ensure the safe transportation of firearms after a decision by some commercial carriers left dealers and wholesalers without options to ship their goods.

Key Points

Carriers FedEx/TNT and Northline withdrew from transporting firearms months ago.

Firearm dealers were facing the prospect of having no viable options

In meetings brokered by the Senators, Australia Post delivered for the firearms community

As a result, the carriage of firearms will be available through a range of existing service offerings within Australia Post and Startrack from mid-October.

“Australia Post has thrown a valuable lifeline to all those involved in the industry by offering Parcel Post, Express Post, Secure Accept and Collect, Startrack Express and Startrack Special Services to ensure the safe, secure and reliable transportation of firearms,” Senator McKenzie said. “Not having firearms able to be commercially freighted across the country has severe implications that affect many of our regional industries. “It is critical the transportation of legal firearms is regarded to be as important as the supply of stock to every other small business around the country.”

The Australian Deer Association attended a range of meetings with Australia Post and firearm industry leaders to help to highlight the importance of a solution for recreational end users. However, we cannot take any credit for the outcome.

“We really appreciate Senators McKenzie and McMahon stepping up on this”, ADA Executive Officer Barry Howlett said. “We were also very impressed with the approach from Australia Post from the get-go. They appreciated the issues and their unique role in Australian society and worked very productively with the industry foundation (SIFA) and key wholesalers and retailers to develop a workable solution”.

Country Liberals Senator for the Northern Territory, Dr Sam McMahon, said it was a positive outcome for rural and regional Australians. “Viable freight options are necessary so these goods can be safely transported from port to wholesalers and dealers, particularly in places like the NT where we have the additional tyranny of distance compared to places such as Sydney and Melbourne”, Senator McMahon said.