Australia Post tracking status
Australia Post “Item processed at facility”: what it means
The short answer
NormalYour parcel was scanned at an Australia Post processing facility and is moving on. A scan far from you or the sender is normal, and one parcel can get this line several times.
When to act: If the parcel has not arrived 10 business days after its expected delivery date, or 15 business days for a parcel coming from overseas, file a complaint and we send it to Australia Post.
Also shown as: “Processed through Australia Post facility” · “Processed through our facility” · “Item processed at sorting facility” · “Arrived at facility”
What to do now
- 1
Open 'Tracking history' and note the facility name and the time of the last scan.
- 2
Compare that with the expected delivery date at the top of the tracking page.
- 3
If the scan is in another state, check that the address on your order is right before assuming something has gone wrong.
- 4
Keep screenshots of the scan history with the facility names, as they show whether the parcel moved forward or back.
- 5
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Australia Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
What does “Item processed at facility” mean?
This is the line you see most often. It means the parcel went through one of Australia Post's sorting or processing sites on the way to you. In one tracking history people share it reads 'Item processed at sorting facility', with 'Arrived at facility' before it. It does not mean the parcel is ready to collect: that shows as 'Awaiting collection'.
Australia Post sends interstate parcels through large central sites, such as the Sydney Parcel Facility at Chullora, the Melbourne Parcel Facility at Sunshine West and the Brisbane Parcel Facility at Redbank, and it also names sites such as the Perth Parcel Facility at Welshpool. So a parcel can be scanned in a city that is neither the sender's nor yours. Australia Post says this lets it use its best sorting equipment, and that a scan at one of these sites is no reason for alarm. It does not explain gateway facilities, such as the Melbourne Gateway Facility, on its tracking help pages.
Why does Australia Post show it?
- Normal sorting on the way to you
- Interstate routing through a central site such as Chullora, Sunshine West or Redbank
- The parcel going through more than one facility
- A parcel from overseas passing through Australia Post's international mail sites
- A parcel being sorted again or sent on again, which shows up in tracking histories people share
How long does it last?
The next line is usually another 'Item processed at facility' or 'Onboard for delivery', and in tracking histories people share, 'In transit to next facility' can come between them. Australia Post says a parcel may get more than one of these scans. Its expected delivery date already allows for known delays, so go by that date. 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.
Other Australia Post statuses
- Label created by senderKeep an eye on it
- PendingKeep an eye on it
- It's on its wayNormal
- Onboard for deliveryNormal
- Possible delayKeep an eye on it
- Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
- Attempted deliveryTake action
- Awaiting collectionTake action
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- Returning to senderTake action
- Cannot be deliveredTake action
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 “Item processed at facility”
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.
Why is my Australia Post parcel at a facility in another state?
Australia Post routes parcels through large central sites, which can be far from both you and the sender. It says this lets it use its best sorting equipment, and that a scan at one of these sites is no reason for alarm.
What is the Melbourne Gateway Facility?
Builders who worked on it describe a facility at Melbourne Airport for screening domestic and international mail, shared by Australia Post, customs and quarantine staff and open 24 hours a day. Australia Post does not explain gateway scans on its tracking help pages. Customs clearance for a parcel from overseas may take up to 15 days, and longer if duties are payable or it has to be held.
My parcel keeps saying processed at facility. Is it stuck?
Not necessarily, but a repeat scan does not prove all is well. Australia Post says a parcel may get more than one of these scans, and that it keeps moving even without new ones. Still, in tracking histories people share, one parcel was scanned five times at the same Sydney site in under two weeks, and another went from Melbourne to Sydney and was then shown in transit back to Victoria. So judge it by the expected delivery date.
Based on
- Australia Post: Improving your customers' tracking experience ('Item processed at facility', may get more than one)
- Australia Post: Trusted tracking and notifications guide ('Processed through Australia Post facility')
- Australia Post help: Help with tracking (central processing centres by state, no reason for alarm)
- Australia Post: Tracking service (Redbank, Chullora and Sunshine West, best sorting capabilities)
- Australia Post help: No recent update
- Australia Post help: Customs (up to 15 days, longer if duties are payable or the item is held)
- Australia Post help: International delays and disruptions (10 and 15 business days, both for parcels from overseas)
- FDC: Australia Post Gateway Facility (project page)
- Verge Safety Barriers: Case study, Australia Post Melbourne Gateway Facility (name, Melbourne Airport, purpose)
- OzBargain: a tracking history a customer shared (Melbourne South East, Sydney West, then in transit back to Victoria)
- IceInSpace forum: a tracking history a customer shared ('Received and ready for processing', 'In transit to next facility')
- Rubenerd: a tracking history a customer shared ('Arrived at facility', 'Item processed at sorting facility')
- 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)