1. What is the most effective direct mail method available to political parties and candidates?

A. Direct Mail is a very powerful communications tool. Addressed Mail is personal, direct and non-intrusive. Market research demonstrates that addressed and unaddressed mail are the preferred media for receiving advertising information from political parties. The preference for mail is consistent across respondents of various ages, income and education levels. Personally addressed mail has more ‘cut through’ than unaddressed mail.

Source: Reaching Consumers in the Information Age, TNS Australia, 2003: Reassessing the role of paper-based marketing communications in the 21st century, Prof P Danaher, 2006.

2. What if you are a candidate with a limited budget. Can Post help as well?

A. Post offers a range of products and services suitable for an effective campaign with all budgets. Your Australia Post account manager can help you tailor your campaign and maximise message penetration by using a range of products to meet your specific needs in the most efficient and cost effective manner.

3. Can Post deliver unaddressed mail exclusively to electorates when it comes to delivering election material?

A. Delivery of Unaddressed Mail is to postcode areas, not electoral boundaries; however, Australia Post offers delivery to electoral boundaries on a “best endeavours” basis with very satisfactory results. There will always be minor overlaps but we try to minimise these. To avoid any such minor variations political parties are encouraged to use addressed mail where a postcode area is not entirely contained within an electorate.

4. What type of election material does Post deliver?

A. During elections Post delivers both addressed and unaddressed mail. Unaddressed mail delivered by Post is performed at the same time as addressed mail, by professional delivery staff. Political mailings that are unaddressed are delivered to all possible points even if a “No Junk Mail” advice is displayed. Unaddressed Mail is delivered over a one week window and delivery is therefore not ‘date certain’.

5. Are parties increasing their marketing budget on direct mail compared with other forms of election promotion like advertising, etc.?

A. Australia Post is not privy to the marketing plans or budgets of the political parties or candidates.
It is recognised that mail has very good ‘cut through’ and we could expect volumes to be high in the 2007 election.

6. What is the research saying about the use of direct mail in an election campaign?

A. Major political parties have experience utilising direct mail in an election. Independent exit polling research shows in three marginal seats from the 2001 federal election 41% of the sample got their primary information on policy from addressed and unaddressed mail.

Source: Chris Anderson, Andrew Olle Media Lecture 2004, http://www.abc.net.au/sydney/stories/s1463447.htm

7. What about reports in some previous state elections about election material going missing?

A. There have been occasional claims that electoral material has been destroyed rather than being delivered. Australia Post takes these allegations very seriously and any such claims are fully and thoroughly investigated by our Corporate Security Group and where appropriate the local Police. In the Victorian election in 2006 there were such allegations and a Police investigation was unable to find any evidence in support of these allegations.

8. How does Post ensure that election material is delivered and in a non-partisan way?

A. Comprehensive records are kept of all Unaddressed Mail bookings, lodgements and deliveries.
All electoral material lodged on a particular day is treated consistently regardless of which candidate or party is involved. Lodged UMS is delivered to local delivery centres at the same time each day and whilst delivery may be staggered over several days consistent with the product service standard, equitable treatment of all lodged material is assured through standard operational procedures and detailed records are maintained of all deliveries completed to an individual postal round level.

Australia Post reminds all its employees of their obligations to behave in a non partisan fashion and of the importance of equitable treatment of material and professionalism in delivery.

9. When can parties or candidates begin sending election material to voters?

A.  Australia Post delivers political communications material all through the year. When an election is called there is a huge increase in demand for delivery of electoral material. Applications for Postal Votes, candidate information, Electoral Commission material, How to Vote information and party promotional material flood into the Australia Post network. The peak demand arises in the first week of the campaign and then maintains momentum throughout the campaign period, particularly in marginal electorates.