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The local flyer delivery boy might soon have to carry more than his waterproof bag stacked with papers and brochures - he may also have a global positioning system (GPS) to ensure he completes his round.
PMP Ltd, Australasia's largest mail delivery group which hires people to deliver community newspapers and junk mail to homes, has required its contractors in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to use the GPS devices since last year. It is about to introduce them to rounds in Adelaide and Perth, and is considering bringing them to New Zealand.
The small, portable devices are designed to be worn or attached to a delivery trolley to track the deliverer's movements and make sure nothing goes astray - a problem the company has long had to put up with.
"It's a huge battle for us. [The job is] paid next to nothing, and no one's motivated to do it. We get a lot of complaints about too much being delivered or not enough," said New Zealand PMP spokeswoman Hannah Williamson.
The devices have attracted much controversy in Australia, with unions and civil liberties groups slamming them as a huge invasion of privacy, especially given that they would be used by teenagers.
That controversy caused New Zealand Post to steer clear of them, knowing they would not be well received. "We decided there would be privacy issues, and it would be too controversial," said New Zealand Post spokeswoman Fiona Mayo.
But a spokesman for PMP Australia said the controversy was overblown. "It's not about data collection. It can't do anything but tell where a person has gone," said Clayton Crameri.
He said that despite initial resistance from delivery contractors, the system had settled down well, providing an 85-92 per cent delivery rate. "You do get a mixed response, but it's now been accepted into our delivery network."
PMP makes no apologies for using the devices, saying it is the future of delivering junk mail.
"I think it's the way the system is going to go, and it provides a better service for everybody," said Crameri.
He said the device was mainly used to provide clients with confidence that their material was being delivered, not to check up on errant workers. "It's used to provide verification back to the customer that the product is being delivered on time."
Most of the time the system would be used only if there were complaints about a contractor, then PMP would look at their route, he said.
"It's primarily a post-delivery system. You can interrogate the system at a later date. It's used to look at what has occurred during a walk period afterwards... But generally it's used to check if there's been suitable coverage."
