For the past 18 months, LPOG has been harbouring a belief that financial salvation for LPOs was just over the horizon, and we would be seeing it coming over the hill any week now. We have seen the departure of many members of the Executive team of Australia Post, and their Board, who seemed totally unaware of the value LPOs bring to the business overall. We all rightly felt that this would provide our much needed relief, and a restoration of a much more equitable payment arrangement for the work we provide for Australia Post. LPOG was invited to participate in the long awaited payment review, and entered this working group with a great deal of anticipation for a successful outcome for our members, and other Licensees who share in the benefits we can extract. While the project is apparently ongoing, it is not looking like the panacea that we needed. Currently it is looking more like a project to shuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic. LPOG will continue to participate in this project, but it seems like it is going to be a long hard slog to achieve what needs to be achieved.

So it is with heavy hearts that we must acknowledge, the July 2018 1.9% CPI increases for the ever diminishing agency payments, combined with the annual 3.5% GRIA increase for our wages, 3-5% rent increases, and utilities and many other cost increases, has highlighted the fast way back to our insolvency issues. We had been so looking forward to putting all that behind us with our new look CEO. 

http://parlview.aph.gov.au/mediaPlayer.php?videoID=416249&operation_mode...

First up at 8.30 am the ANZ, incredible to hear they consider an Australis Post License as an accredited franchise. This is the bank who has defaulted on more LPO Licensees than any other known bank. And their answer is "NO" in most cases.

Valuable feedback has been received regarding the OneMusic Australia first consultation paper about proposed changes to music licensing for Retailers and Service Providers.

We have taken this feedback into account and released a second consultation paper, which is available on the OneMusic Australia website here.

The Missing Piece of Pie and GRIA v’s CPI.

Most of us would reasonably expect that Australia Post has a grip on the consequences to LPOs if they continued to underfund our increased expenses. 

LPOG has been advised of a significant spike in fraudulent overprocessing of bill payments and banking by Licensees. This is identified by the regular datawarehousing, undertaken on a regular basis by Australia Post, to check the goings on in the network. Once your LPO has been identified by these reports, you will be under investigation, and several Licensees are facing termination, or substantial repayments of these fraudulent commission payments.Several of these Licensees that have been detected have used the excuse, or suggested, that LPOG recommends this course of action to increase commission payments.

Nothing could be further from the truth. LPOG does not in any way, support fraudulent activities by Licensees. 

While we are listening to the "too poor to pay you a fair days pay for your work" this may be of interest to Licensees.

https://www.tandlnews.com.au/2018/08/28/article/australia-post-back-in-t...

Once supposes that while Licensees keep on keeping on to keep their doors open, Australia Post is just delighted! It is certainly working for them.

LPOG's Policy for Payment reform to ensure the viability of the LPO Network for a sustainable future.

LPOG’s Policy on LPO Viability August 2018.pdf

During the first half of 2018 LPOG has actively participated in a robust forum to undertake a review of the current payment schedule that sets out the payments made to Licensees, for the range of tasks we undertake for Australia Post.

It was greatly anticipated that this review would result in a much fairer, and more equitable reformed payment schedule, that would remunerate Licensees on a sound commercial basis, for the activities LPOs supply for Australia Post and our communities.