Australia Post HQ to shift to Richmond in Melbourne

The new Australia Post headquarters being developed by Charter Hall at 480 Swan Street, Richmond

Australia Post will leave behind its long time digs in Melbourne‘s central business district and move to a new complex being developed by Charter Hall in inner city Richmond.

The postal service has decided to shift out of its present headquarters in the Southern Cross West Tower after weighing up options across the city and suburbs.

The Lucio Di Bartolomeo-led board will be hoping that the new site will help overhaul the organisation’s culture under Woolworths’ former chief supply chain officer Paul Graham, who joins as CEO this month.

Australia Post tapped him to replace former chief executive Christine Holgate, who controversially exited last year after awarding four senior executives Cartier watches with a combined value of almost $20,000. Ms Holgate has since received a pay out.

Now, a Charter Hall managed-partnership, comprising Charter Hall Prime Office Fund and the Victorian Funds Management Corporation, has secured a 10 year pre-lease agreement with Australia Post as the anchor tenant customer for a new $410m office development at 480 Swan Street in Richmond.

The precinct is an expanding commercial hub on the city fringe in an area increasingly chased by many corporate and government tenants.

Purpose-built for Australia Post, the building will deliver a workplace designed for better collaboration, connections and sustainability to usher in a new chapter for the organisation, says Charter Hall.

Charter Hall secured the project with local developer PDG Corporation. Charter Hall has contracted to purchase the site and has secured planning approvals. The 32,000sq m campus-style building will have 12 levels, with Australia Post occupying most of the space.

It is being constructed under a carbon neutral framework and will be carbon neutral enabled on completion. Targeting a 6-star Green Star rating and a 5-star NABERS Energy rating.

Charter Hall chief executive David Harrison said the project built on the company‘s 20-year partnership with the postal service, which has retail space in its shopping centres and retail assets, as well as using its warehouses.

Construction is slated to begin in the next few months, with delivery forecast for 2024. The construction phase of the development is expected to create 750 jobs.