Postage stamps and postal history of Australia
Australia's postal system entered a unified phase of development following the federation in 1901. The previously independent postal services of the six colonies came under the control of the federal government, marking the beginning of a nationalised postal network.
Basic designs of Australian postage stamps have evolved gradually in response to historical, political and social changes in Australia. In 1913, the first stamp bearing the name “Australia” featured the iconic “Kangaroo and Map” design was issued, demonstrated the formation of a national postal identity.
Federation
The six self-governing Australian colonies that formed the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901 had operated their own postal service and issued their own stamps – see articles on the systems on New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. Section 51 of the Australian Constitution empowered the Commonwealth to make laws in respect of "postal, telegraphic, telephonic, and other like services".The Commonwealth created the Postmaster-General's Department on 1 March 1901, which took over all the colonial mail systems and the then-current colony stamps. Those stamps continued to be valid, becoming de facto Commonwealth stamps. Some of them continued to be used for some time following the introduction of the Commonwealth's uniform postage stamp series in 1913. They continued to be valid for postage until 14 February 1966 when the introduction of decimal currency invalidated all stamps bearing the earlier currency.
Circumstances precluded the immediate issue of a uniform Commonwealth postage stamp. But there was no hindrance in respect to a Postage Due series. The first of these, the design of which was based on the current New South Wales postage due stamps, was issued in July 1902.
Postal rates became uniform between the new states on 1 May 1911 because of the extension of the United Kingdom domestic postal rate of 1d per half ounce to Australia as a member of the British Empire. One penny became the uniform domestic postage rate. One penny postcards and lettercards also appeared in 1911. In the same year, the Postmaster-General's Department held a stamp design competition for a uniform series of Commonwealth postage stamps. This competition attracted over one thousand entries.
The "Roo" stamp
The first definitive stamp inscribed "Australia" was a red 1d "Kangaroo and Map" stamp, the design of which was adopted in part from the entry that won the Stamp Design Competition. Although the delay between federation and the first Australian stamps had several causes, one of the major reasons was political wrangling regarding the design. There was significant opposition to any inclusion of British royal symbols or profiles.A design completion was announced in 1911, and several designs were chosen, including those with the monarch's profile. The government decided to have only one design, and Charlie Frazer, then postmaster-general, inspired the basic features of the new design. Blamire Young, a local watercolour artist, was commissioned to produce the final design.
The first definitive series, issued on 2 January 1913, comprised fifteen stamps, ranging in value from ½d to £2. The Kangaroo and Map design was ordered by the Fisher Labor Government, which included a number of republicans who strenuously opposed the incorporation of the monarch's profile on Australian stamps. One of the first acts of the Cook Liberal Government, sworn in on 14 June 1913, was to order a series of postage stamps with the profile of George V. On 8 December 1913, the first of those, an engraved 1d carmine-red, appeared. Soon after, typographed values of the design appeared, ranging from ½d to 1/4d. The Postmaster-General's Department kept both basic designs on issue for some time – 38 years for the Kangaroo and Map design, and 23 years for the George V.
In about 1948, H. Dormer Legge published his study of the stamps: The Kangaroo Issues of the stamps of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Later definitive stamps
With the accession of George VI in 1936, until the early 1970s, Australian definitives featured the monarch, Australian fauna and Australian flora. However, particularly in the late 1950s, the depiction of the monarch on Australian definitives became confined to the base domestic letter rate and the preceding minor values. With the introduction of decimal currency on 14 February 1966, 24 new definitives were issued – the monarch was featured on the minor values and on the base domestic letter rate and the remainder featured Australian birds, Australian marine life, and early Australian maritime explorers. A feature of this issue was that where there was a direct conversion of value, the design was changed to reflect the new decimal currency value – for example, the 2/6d Scarlet Robin definitive become the new 25c decimal currency value; likewise the £2 Phillip Parker King definitive became the new $4 decimal currency value.The last base domestic letter rate definitive stamp featuring the monarch appeared on 1 October 1971. Since then, the designs of all Australian definitive values have focused on fauna, flora, reptiles, butterflies, marine life, gemstones, paintings, handicrafts, visual arts, community and the like. Due to complaints by royalists about the dropping of the monarch, a stamp has been issued annually since 1980 to commemorate the monarch's birthday.
Since the 1990s, the increasing commercial focus of Australia Post has led to the design of stamps being more focused on the demands of the commercial market, rather than as a government endorsed view of the national identity. Generally stamps have avoided subjects of contemporary political controversy, although in 2019 a stamp commemorating the legalisation of same-sex marriage was released.
First commemorative stamp
Australia's first commemorative stamp was issued on 9 May 1927 to mark the opening of the first Parliament House in Canberra. Subsequently, issues have appeared regularly commemorating Australian achievements and landmarks in Australian history. The first Australian multicoloured stamps appeared on 31 October 1956 as part of the Melbourne Olympic Games commemorative issue. These were printed by a foreign company. The first Australian-printed multicoloured stamp, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Australian Inland Mission, was issued on 5 September 1962.There have been many special issues. The first Christmas stamp appeared on 6 November 1957. In recent years, designs for the Christmas issue have alternated each year between the religious and the secular. From 1993, in October of every year, Australia Post has commemorated Stamp Collecting month with special issues, typically featuring topics that are of interest to children such as pets, native fauna and space. Commencing with the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, during the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, stamps featuring Australians who have won an Olympic gold medal are issued on the next postal business day after the achievement.
Airmails
Australia's first airmail-designated stamp appeared on 20 May 1929. A special 3d airmail stamp was available for mail sent on the Perth-Adelaide air service. The cost of this service was 3d per ½ oz plus normal postage. On 19 March 1931 and 4 November 1931, a further two airmail-designated stamps, both 6d, appeared. After these, general definitives were used for mail sent by air.Stamp booklets
Coin-operated vending machines were introduced in 1960 and have continued in various forms to the present day. These included Frama vending machines stamps, first issued in 1984 and discontinued in 2003, as well as various booklets. Booklet stamps were discontinued in 1973 but were reintroduced some years later. Stamp booklets were available from Advance Bank ATMs from 1984 until the bank's merger with St George Bank in 1996. These were Australia's first triangular stamp issue.Self-adhesive stamps
s were first issued in 1990. The first self-adhesive commemoratives appeared in 1993. Self-adhesive stamps have proved popular with users and very soon came to be in more common use than gummed stamps. Australia issues gummed versions of all self-adhesive stamps.Prior to 1997, the official policy of Australia Post was to not depict living persons on stamps other than members of the royal family. However, in 1950 Anmatyerre man Gwoya Tjungurrayi became the first living Australian depicted on a stamp. Presumably, the rule was not taken into consideration as the stamp was intended to depict a generic image of an Aboriginal person. Since 1997, Australia Post has formally adjusted its policy and has issued stamps commemorating living Australians. In particular, an annual Australian Legends issue has commemorated living Australians who have made some significant contribution during their lives, with Sir Donald Bradman being the first depicted.
Stamps with personalized tabs were introduced in 1999. Australia Post has also used tabs to commemorate themes and individuals not considered significant enough for a stamp issue of their own.