Christine Holgate has blamed Scott Morrison for forcing her out at Australia Post, dragging the government back into the damaging Cartier watches saga as the board chairman insisted the former chief executive resigned of her own volition.

In dramatic evidence to Parliament on Tuesday, Ms Holgate said the Prime Minister instructed her removal, blaming Australia Post chairman Lucio Di Bartolomeo for subjecting her to a biased internal investigation to “curry favour with his political masters” in the Coalition government.