Palm Beach dog safety concerns have renewed attention after Australia Post reported a rise in aggressive or unrestrained dog encounters, while residents continue to report off-leash dogs in restricted public and wildlife areas.
Posties Face Rising Dog Encounters
Australia Post has urged dog owners to keep pets secured during deliveries after more than 1,200 dog-related incidents were reported nationwide over six months.
The data, covering 17 November 2025 to 17 May 2026, recorded a 5 per cent increase on the same period last year. It showed about 47 posties encountered an aggressive or unrestrained dog each week, equal to an average of nine incidents a day.
NSW recorded 410 incidents, the highest figure in the country. Tamworth, Ingleburn, Moree and Penrith were listed among the NSW locations with the most dog-related incidents involving posties.
Australia Post General Manager Safety Russell Munro said dog incidents remained a serious and ongoing risk for delivery workers, who could face unpredictable behaviour during routine parcel and mail deliveries.
The reported injuries included bites, puncture wounds, scratches and lacerations. Some posties were knocked from their vehicles or required hospital treatment.
Most incidents occurred when dogs were not properly secured. Almost two-thirds happened on the street after a dog escaped a property or was roaming freely, while more than a third involved posties being chased. More than a third of all incidents occurred on a customer’s property as a postie approached or left the front door.
Palm Beach Dog Safety Concerns
In Palm Beach and across the Northern Beaches, residents have also raised concern about dogs being taken off-leash into places where they are not permitted.
Those concerns include dogs at Barrenjoey Headland National Park, beaches, dunes and public areas used by families and wildlife. Dogs have also been seen in the dunes at North Palm Beach, where wallabies are known to live and have been photographed.
A resident raised concern on Tuesday, 9 June, after a dog was taken off-leash into Barrenjoey Headland National Park. Dog faeces found on a North Palm Beach dunes trail has also added to concern that dogs may be roaming there without supervision or that owners are not cleaning up after them.
Wallabies have been photographed at Palm Beach and across Pittwater. The supplied local accounts also refer to dogs frightening birds around Narrabeen Lagoon and a little penguin found dead at Warriewood Beach on 30 January 2026, with an off-leash dog described as the likely cause.
Wildlife and Public Space Incidents
Several incidents across nearby Northern Beaches locations have added to resident concern about off-leash dogs.
On 16 January 2026, a swamp wallaby was filmed running from Collaroy to Narrabeen beach in a distressed state. The animal was knocked over by a wave after entering the surf, before continuing north.
On 14 January 2026, a dog was seen off-leash at south Avalon Beach and nipped a toddler near the Avalon Beach children’s pool. Several other dogs were seen off-leash in the same area within half an hour.
A WIRES wildlife carer said wallabies could die from the stress of being chased and urged dog owners to keep pets in appropriate areas. The carer said wallabies on the Northern Beaches were shy animals and should be protected from dogs roaming off-leash.
Reported Northern Beaches Dog Attacks
Reported dog attack figures show 247 incidents across the Northern Beaches from July 2024 to June 2025. Of those, 45 were serious attacks on people requiring hospitalisation or medical treatment, while 146 animals were attacked.
For the first quarter of 2025–26, from 1 July 2025 to 30 September 2025, the Northern Beaches recorded 58 reported dog attack incidents. These involved 33 people and 32 animals, with 11 people involved in serious attacks.
For the second quarter, from 1 October 2025 to 31 December 2025, there were 57 reported dog attack incidents. These involved 35 people and 30 animals, with 11 people involved in serious attacks.
The figures cover reported incidents, and not all dog attacks are reported.
Keeping Dogs Secured for Deliveries
Australia Post has advised dog owners to follow its PAWS for delivery steps: sit, stay and secure.
The advice asks owners to place dogs in a contained area, separate room or behind a locked gate when a delivery is expected. Dogs should remain secured until the postie has delivered the parcel and left the property.
Residents can also use delivery notifications through the AusPost app, plan ahead for where pets will be secured, or redirect parcels to a Parcel Locker or post office if a dog cannot be safely contained at home.
Posties have been equipped with citronella spray as a last-line safety measure. The non-toxic, water-based spray is designed to briefly distract dogs so delivery workers can move away safely, and Australia Post reported it had been effective in 95 per cent of cases over the past six months.
Injured wildlife can be reported to Sydney Wildlife Rescue on 9413 4300 or WIRES on 1300 094 737.
Published 25-June-2026
