Australia Post splurged on corporate boxes and hospitality packages
Australia Post splurged tens of thousands of dollars to wine and dine clients at sporting events across the country — including two suites at Saturday’s AFL Grand Final — with besieged CEO also using its $100k a year corporate box to watch Magpies games.
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Australia Post has splurged tens of thousands of dollars to wine and dine in corporate boxes at sporting events across the country — including two suites at Saturday’s AFL Grand Final.
As the federal government urgently probes spending at the publicly owned business, the Herald Sun can reveal Australia Post paid at least $100,000 a year for a box at the MCG to entertain clients.
Insiders say besieged chief executive Christine Holgate – a Collingwood Football Club board member – also used the corporate box for Magpies games.
Australia Post employs an event co-ordinator who is charged with managing corporate entertainment at the MCG, Marvel Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Optus Stadium in Perth and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
The organisation also shelled out for two suites at the Gabba for Richmond’s Grand Final victory over Geelong on Saturday night.
It is understood Australia Post has also paid for hospitality at Flemington’s exclusive Terrace Restaurant, which offers “uninterrupted views of the winning post” with annual packages starting at $7200.
Ms Holgate, who took the top job in 2017, is now facing mounting pressure to resign after Scott Morrison personally intervened to order an investigation into the purchase of four Cartier watches for Australia Post bosses totalling $19,950.
The Herald Sun understands the four-week probe will delve into Australia Post’s corporate culture and broader spending issues, amid a string of revelations including about the huge bill racked up on corporate credit cards used by Ms Holgate and her office.
Australia Post refused to answer questions from the Herald Sun about its corporate hospitality spending.
“The federal government has announced an investigation and Australia Post has committed to fully co-operate,” a spokesman said.
“It is not appropriate to respond to individual media inquiries relating to expenditure while this is underway.”
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire launched a passionate defence of Ms Holgate last Friday, saying “hacks” and “dullards” were trying to drag her down.
“Christine Holgate is one of the most impressive people that I have ever met,” he said.
But the Prime Minister rejected Mr McGuire’s assessment, saying: “I don’t think what we learnt (about the watches) would have passed any test with the Australian public when it comes to a company that is owned by the government.”
On Sunday, cabinet minister Karen Andrews said the investigation would provide an “insight” into what was happening within the organisation, amid calls for further probes across the public sector following a string of expenditure scandals.
“The first step is to start with Australia Post and to discover whether or not this was a one-off issue or whether it is systemic and understand what the breadth of those issues actually are,” Ms Andrews told the ABC.
“From there we can see, well, are there wider issues that we need to look at across the public sector.”
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