"Official" POSTAGE PAID, BURNIE 7320 h/stamp offered on eBay

[Ross Ewington]

A small handstamp (in rectangular box) reading

POSTAGE PAID
BURNIE, 7320

is currently on offer for sale on eBay - item 220936373740

the vendor states confidently that the item is a...

"2002 commercial cover from Burnie to Hobart, Tasmania with boxed “Postage Paid/Burnie, 7320” in blue measures 36 x 7mm - used in lieu of a Paid At Burnie cds. A rare official marking applied at the Burnie Post Office."

To the best of my knowledge, there is no empirical evidence available that this is in fact an official postmark (used in lieu of a Paid at Burnie cds) as the vendor suggests. It is more likely than not that the handstamp was procured locally by the Burnie office of Medicare and used on bulk pre-sorted mail as per the Australia Post Guide page below...
[attachment=0]postage paid info.jpg[/attachment]
N.B. since 2002, the regulations have been changed so that the imprint now has to read POSTAGE PAID, AUSTRALIA in all circumstances.

There is still a remote possibility of course that the handstamp has been applied at the Burnie post office as stated by the vendor, but I think it prudent to assume that the handstamp has been procured and used as I have stated above before raising the h/stamp to "official status" without some primary evidence.