<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia Post is planning to lift stamp prices by 15 cents per letter from the middle of the year to offset losses.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The postal service announced today it was seeking approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to increase the basic postage rate from $1.70 to $1.85.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The price of concession stamps and seasonal greeting cards won't change, remaining at 60 cents and 65 cents respectively.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/liberal-party-leadership-spill-angus-taylor-defeats-sussan-ley/e02a6189-6fb5-4262-af53-7c5acea1c826" rel="" target="_blank" title="Angus Taylor emerges victorious from leadership spill, ousting Sussan Ley as opposition leader"><strong><span>Angus Taylor emerges victorious from leadership spill, ousting Sussan Ley as opposition leader</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia Post says it has also offered further cost-of-living relief by increasing the number of concession stamps eligible customers can purchase, from 50 to 75 per year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fewer than 3 per cent of letters are sent by individuals, with the vast majority mailed by businesses and government agencies.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The average cost impact to Australian households of the proposed price rise to $1.85 will be less than $1 extra per year.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/australia-post-seeks-stamp-price-rise/f1b587f2-e8c8-45a7-9762-c420f2e5058a" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia Post's letters service has steeply declined and is now at levels recorded in the 1930s.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the past financial year, volumes dropped a further 11.7 per cent (excluding election activities). </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Even with the contribution of elections, the letters service still reported a $230.4 million loss.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia Post group chief executive officer Paul Graham says despite the slump in demand for letters, the corporation was still delivering them to more addresses.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"As letter volumes continue to fall as customers increasingly take up digital options, Australia Post needs to ensure the Letters service remains sustainable now and into the future," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The proposed increase is one of the ways we are responsibly addressing our financial challenges so we can keep serving our customers and communities."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by 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