Postal Regulations (Amendment)

Legislation au C1964L00125 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

STATUTORY RULES.

1964. No. 125

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REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST AND TELEGRAPH ACT 1901-1961.*

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1961.

Dated this seventeenth day of September, 1964.

DE L’ISLE

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

 

Alan Hulme

Postmaster-General.

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Amendments of the Postal Regulations.

Commencement.

1. These Regulations shall come into operation on the first day of October, 1964.

Articles addressed to “The Householder”.

2. Regulation 90 of the Postal Regulations is amended by omitting sub-regulations (1.), (2.) and (3.) and inserting in their stead the following sub-regulations:—

“(1.) Postal articles other than postal articles referred to in item 2 or item 3 of the First Schedule to the Rates Act that are not addressed to specified persons but bear the words ‘The Householder’ or some similar words may, subject to this regulation, be accepted for transmission by post and for delivery from any post office from which postal articles are delivered by postman or by mail contractor.

“(2.) All articles for delivery from the one post office shall be tied in bundles or placed in containers and there shall be attached to each bundle or container a label specifying the name of that post office.

 

* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on 21st September, 1964.

† Statutory Rules 1935, No. 3, as amended by Statutory Rule 1935, Nos. 53, 70, 80 and 95; 1936, Nos. 50 and 113; 1937, Nos. 13, 35, 37 and 48; 1938, Nos. 2, 55, 94 and 100; 1939, Nos. 44, 57 and 66; 1940, Nos. 1 and 232; 1942, Nos. 5, 313, 439 and 554; 1943, Nos. 57, 94, 122, 237 and 286; 1944, No. 145; 1945, No. 194; 1946, Nos. 131 and 149; 1947, Nos. 91 and 114; 1948, No. 62; 1949, Nos. 23, 30, 38 and 106; 1950, Nos. 49 and 93; 1951, Nos. 22 and 72; 1952, No. 38; 1953, No. 81; 1954, No. 52; 1955, No. 28; 1956, Nos. 31 and 67; 1957, No. 38; 1959, Nos. 7, 21, 26, 63 and 85; 1960, Nos. 75 and 103; 1962, Nos. 106 and 117; 1963, No. 35, and 1964, No. 124.

10765/64.—Price 6d. 10/7.9.1964.


“(3.) Subject to the next succeeding sub-regulation, after arrival at that post office, one of the articles shall (so far as the number posted will permit) be delivered to each house within the area within which postal articles are delivered by postman or mail contractor.

“(3a.) Articles posted in accordance with this regulation may be detained at the office from which they are to be delivered until they are able to be delivered without delay to the delivery of other postal articles.”.

Rates of postage for parcels.

3. Regulation 213 of the Postal Regulations is amended by omitting from sub-regulation (1.) the words “The following rates of postage” and inserting in their stead the words “Subject to the next succeeding regulation, the following rates of postage”.

4. After regulation 213 of the Postal Regulations, the following regulation is inserted:—

“213a.—(1.) This regulation applies to parcels that—

(a) do not contain articles in respect of which a rate of postage is fixed by item 2 or item 3 in the First Schedule to the Rates Act;

Rates of postage for parcels—“Householder service”.

(b) are not addressed to specified persons but bear the words ‘The Householder’ or some similar words; and

(c) are posted in bulk for delivery within the Commonwealth.

“(2.) Subject to the next succeeding sub-regulation, the postage payable in respect of articles to which this regulation applies—

(a) is an amount equal to seven-tenths of the amount of postage that, but for this regulation, would be payable in respect of the parcels; and

(b) shall be prepaid in cash.

“(3.) Where the amount of postage ascertained in accordance with the last preceding sub-regulation includes a fraction of a penny, that fraction shall be disregarded.”.

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By Authority: A. J. Arthur, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra.

Overview

The Statutory Rules 1964 No. 125, made under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1961, introduces amendments to the Postal Regulations to address issues related to the efficient delivery of postal articles to householders and the pricing of postage for parcels. Enacted by the Governor-General in accordance with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, these regulations aim to streamline the delivery process for postal items addressed to "The Householder" and to adjust the postage rates for parcels accordingly. The policy objective is to ensure effective and economical postal services, facilitating the distribution of mail to households and adjusting the financial burden on the postal service for certain parcel deliveries.

Scope and Application

The Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1961, made by the Governor-General on the advice of the Federal Executive Council, primarily concern the amendment of the Postal Regulations to introduce specific provisions for articles addressed to "The Householder" and the rates of postage for parcels. These Regulations apply to all persons and entities posting articles within the Commonwealth, provided they are not addressed to specified individuals but rather designated for general household delivery. They are designed to streamline the delivery process by ensuring that articles are collected in bundles or containers, labelled with the originating post office's name, and subsequently distributed to households within the delivery area. Additionally, these Regulations establish discounted postage rates for parcels that meet certain criteria, such as not containing articles with fixed postage rates, being addressed to "The Householder," and being posted in bulk for Commonwealth-wide delivery. The discounted rate is set at seven-tenths of the standard postage rate and must be prepaid in cash. The Regulations come into effect on the first day of October 1964, with the possibility of further refinement through subordinate instruments.

Key Provisions

The Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1961, particularly as outlined in Statutory Rules 1964 No. 125, introduce significant changes to how postal articles addressed to “The Householder” are handled. According to Regulation 2, postal articles not addressed to specific individuals but marked with “The Householder” or similar wording can be accepted for delivery from any post office, provided they are bundled or containerised and labelled with the name of the post office. Regulation 213a introduces a specific rate for these parcels, with postage set at seven-tenths of the usual rate, payable in cash and rounded down if a fraction of a penny is involved. These Regulations impose specific obligations on postal services and the public. Postal services must ensure that articles addressed to “The Householder” are bundled or containerised, labelled with the originating post office name, and may be held until they can be delivered without delay. The public must ensure that such articles are prepaid at the reduced rate and are bundled or containerised as required. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in delays or refusal of service. The Regulations do not explicitly state any criminal or civil penalties for non-compliance. However, the requirement to follow these procedures suggests that failure to do so could result in administrative consequences, such as delayed delivery or refusal of service. The absence of specific penalties in the text implies that compliance is expected, and non-compliance might be managed through operational adjustments rather than formal sanctions.

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Area of Law
Postal Services
Instrument
Regulation
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Rates of Postage
Postal Services Regulation

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.