Australia Post tracking
Australia Post tracking statuses explained
Australia Post, often written AusPost, is Australia's national postal service and delivers for online shops, businesses and people sending their own parcels. A parcel is scanned when it is picked up or lodged (only some parcels get this first scan), each time it goes through a processing facility, such as Chullora in New South Wales, Sunshine West in Victoria or Redbank in Queensland, and when a driver takes it out for delivery. Tracking shows a headline such as 'It's on its way' above a more detailed line such as 'Item processed at facility', and it leaves out scans that arrive late or out of order.
Every Australia Post tracking status explained
| Status | What it means | Should you worry? |
|---|---|---|
| Label created by sender | The sender has told Australia Post a parcel is coming, but Australia Post has not scanned it yet. | Keep an eye on it |
| Pending | Australia Post has not scanned the item into its system yet, and says the status should update within 24 to 48 hours. | Keep an eye on it |
| It's on its way | Australia Post has scanned your parcel, or another parcel on the sender's list, and it is not with a driver yet. | Normal |
| Item processed at facility | Your parcel was scanned at an Australia Post processing facility and is moving on. | Normal |
| Onboard for delivery | A driver or postie has your parcel and plans to deliver it today. | Normal |
| Possible delay | Australia Post knows this parcel is running late, but expects it to arrive. | Keep an eye on it |
| Tracking not updating | A gap in scans alone does not mean your parcel is lost, as Australia Post only updates tracking at key checkpoints. | Keep an eye on it |
| Attempted delivery | The driver could not deliver or safely leave the parcel, so it is going to a nearby Post Office or Parcel Locker. | Take action |
| Awaiting collection | Your parcel is at a Post Office or Parcel Locker, waiting for you to collect it. | Take action |
| Delivered but not received | Tracking says delivered, but you do not have the parcel. | Take action |
| Returning to sender | Australia Post could not deliver your parcel and is sending it back to the sender. | Take action |
| Cannot be delivered | Australia Post cannot deliver this parcel as addressed. | Take action |
Australia Post delays
Australia Post calls its delivery timetables indicative targets. Its expected delivery date is a prediction from recent deliveries that allows for known delays, and it says speed depends on distance, the time of year and congestion in its network. It names extreme weather, public emergencies and mistakes by the sender as reasons for a 'Possible delay', and its service updates list local events such as industrial action. Customs clearance of a parcel from overseas may take up to 15 days, and longer if duties are payable or it has to be held. Australia Post says most late parcels arrive within 5 business days of the expected date.
Is your parcel from Australia Post late or missing?
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Australia Post?
If you bought online from a business, it is in most cases for the seller to put right. The Australian Consumer Law (section 36) says a business that took your payment must supply the goods within the time it stated, or a reasonable time if it stated none, unless the failure was due to someone else or a cause beyond its control and it took reasonable precautions and due diligence to avoid it. A seller may argue that a failure by Australia Post falls under that exception. Section 36 does not itself set out a refund, and the Australian Consumer Law does not say in so many words who carries the risk of a parcel lost in the post. Government guidance in Victoria and Western Australia says the seller is responsible for resolving delivery problems with Australia Post, and that you are entitled to a refund if the seller still does not deliver. State sale of goods law and the seller's terms can also matter and are not covered here. Australia Post generally pays the sender for a lost domestic parcel, but its terms leave the claim with the addressee, up to $100, on parcels a business lodges under Business Standard or Business Express Delivery.
If you posted the parcel yourself, you have a contract with Australia Post, and its General Terms and Conditions apply. Most parcel services include compensation of up to $100 plus a refund of the postage when a parcel is lost or damaged and Australia Post is at fault, and Extra Cover bought when posting can raise that. It pays nothing for delays, except a refund of the postage when Express Post misses its next business day guarantee. Its terms say any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law apply in addition to them.
Questions about Australia Post tracking
What does 'Label created by sender' mean on Australia Post?
The sender has created a label and given Australia Post the details, but Australia Post has not scanned the parcel yet. It says it should receive the parcel within 3 business days.
What does pending mean on Australia Post tracking?
The item has not been scanned into Australia Post's system yet. It may not have been posted, it may be in a street posting box, or it may be part of a bulk lodgement that has not been scanned.
What does 'It's on its way' mean on AusPost?
Australia Post describes an item that has been posted and processed and is moving through its sorting facilities, and it is not with a delivery driver yet. The first message can come from a scan of another parcel on the sender's list, so read the line under the headline for the most recent scan.
What does 'Item processed at facility' mean on AusPost?
Australia Post scanned your parcel at one of its processing facilities. It says a parcel may get more than one of these scans, so seeing the line again is normal.
What does onboard for delivery mean with Australia Post?
A driver or postie has your parcel and plans to deliver it today. The tracking headline shows 'It's coming today', with a 2-hour window when Australia Post can give one.
Based on
- Australian Consumer Law (Competition and Consumer Act, Schedule 2), section 36: supply within the stated period or a reasonable time
- Government of Victoria: Products missing or damaged in transit (the seller resolves delivery problems, refund if the goods are not supplied)
- Government of Western Australia: Missing or damaged products (the seller resolves delivery problems, refund if the goods are not delivered)
- Australia Post General Terms and Conditions, clauses 3.1 to 3.8 (delays, lost items, included compensation, claims by addressees on business parcels)
- Australia Post: Compensation (generally who is paid, amounts, Express Post refund)