Every postie will be equipped with citronella deterrent spray as dog attacks on workers increase, Australia Post has announced.
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New data released by the postal service has revealed that more than 1150 dog-related incidents occurred in the past six months, an average of nine per day.
Australia Post said the water-based citronella spray was non-harmful and temporarily distracts the dog, causing them to retreat, giving posties time to get to safety or call for the owners.
A two-phase trial in some of the worst-affected areas found the spray to be 80 per cent effective, building on successful international use cases.
The roll-out will begin in areas with the highest risk and is expected to be in the hands of all posties by the end of July and extended to parcel delivery drivers after this.
Australia Post said that almost 40 per cent of dog incidents took place on the property of a customer, with half of the cases happening when a front door is opened for a parcel delivery.
Incidents taking place on the street made up 57 per cent of attacks, half of these from unrestrained dogs escaping a property. Roaming dogs made up 39 per cent of street incidents.
Australia Post's Russell Munro called on dog owners to do their part in helping to stop dog attacks.
"The best way to avoid dog attacks is to ensure your dog is safely secured behind a locked door or gate when your Postie arrives with your parcel," Mr Munro said.
The worst-affected areas in each state between November 2024 and May 2025 were:
- Moree, Penrith and Waterloo in NSW.
- Oakleigh South, Mooroolbark, Deepdene and Mornington in Victoria.
- Launceston, Burnie, Devonport and Hobart in Tasmania.
- Canberra South, Mitchell and Tuggeranong in the ACT.
- Darra, Bundamba and Toowoomba in Queensland.
- Joondalup, Geraldton and Malaga in WA.
- Glynde, Lonsdale, Edinburgh North and Salisbury South in SA.
- Katherine, Palmerston and Darwin in NT.
Mr Munro said his organisation was constantly looking for ways to better protect front-line team members.
"When our people continue to end up in hospital, we have a responsibility to act and this is a last resort measure," he said.
"The safety of our team members is a core value at Australia Post. Despite public awareness efforts and rigorous safety protocols, we continue to see alarming rates of dog-related incidents."
Australia Post said their workers will undergo briefings on using the deterrent safely and follow strict usage policies.
Ayden Dawkins
Ayden is the digital editor for ACM's Victorian mastheads.
Do you have a story that should be told? Email him at ayden.dawkins@acm.media
