A $200 million express parcel facility aims to speed up deliveries and help Australian retailers compete with global giants like Amazon.
Australia Post on Wednesday officially opened the 78,000 square metre hub - the size of about 10 NRL fields - in Brisbane that is set to process up to 250,000 parcels a day.
Queensland is the nation's fastest growing e-commerce state, spending about $17.8 billion on online shopping in 2025.
Australia Post said it built its largest express facility in Queensland to give local retailers the tools to keep up with global e‑commerce players – and meet shoppers’ growing expectations for near‑instant delivery.
“We’re putting in the infrastructure to allow us to deliver parcels quicker and more conveniently for the consumer,” Australia Post managing director Paul Graham told AAP on Wednesday.
“We know they (Queenslanders) love their online shopping - it's why we’re committed to investing in the right infrastructure that gives us a competitive edge to keep pace with demand."
The facility has been operating for several months ahead of Wednesday's official opening in time for the festive shopping season, which kicks off as early as September.
It features the latest sorting and scanning technology and a fully automated conveyor system, while still employing a substantial workforce to handle loading and unloading.
As an international gateway, it houses Border Force and biosecurity officers, with all parcels passing through X‑ray scanners and given the sniff test by detector dogs.
While traditional letter deliveries had dropped from five to four days a week, parcel operations were expanding rapidly to match surging demand for faster delivery, Australia Post said.
Where it once took around 90 minutes to process freight off an aircraft, the new Brisbane hub can now turn containers around in about 20.
Through the Brisbane Metro service, customers who order by 8pm can potentially receive next‑day delivery.
Australia Post is also ramping up its same‑day services.
Earlier modelling suggested around five per cent of deliveries would be same day by 2030, but updated forecasts now point to about 20 per cent.
The Brisbane hub forms part of a broader national investment program, including a $500 million redevelopment of the former Holden factory site in Adelaide, a new Hobart facility to be announced this week, and multiple upgrades across regional Australia and the Gold Coast.
“This new state-of-the-art facility will increase delivery speeds and reliability for Queensland households and businesses," federal Communications Minister Anika Wells MP said.
“Online shopping continues to grow ... and so too does the demand for fast and reliable delivery service."
