We won’t say sorry to Holgate: Aus Post
Australia Post directors supported chairman’s claim that Christine Holgate agreed to stand aside after a series of phone conversations between the pair last year.
Australia Post’s board has doubled down on its refusal to apologise to Christine Holgate, saying her ousting was none of its making in a sequel to her explosive appearance at a Senate inquiry.
The postal service’s entire board, except Tony Nutt, a former Liberal federal and state director who was ill, fronted the second hearing of the Senate inquiry into her departure.
It came two weeks after Ms Holgate claimed she was “humiliated” by Scott Morrison and “bullied” by Australia Post chair Lucio Di Bartolomeo.
The directors unanimously backed their chairman, telling the inquiry Australia Post did not owe Ms Holgate an apology for the circumstances surrounding her departure.
“The situation we are in today, this inquiry, the media frenzy, a former CEO who is clearly suffering, is none of the board’s making,” Australia Post director and former Liberal senator Michael Ronaldson said. “And most definitely, not where we want to be or ever imagined to be.”
The refusal to apologise is despite Ms Holgate engaging reputational risk lawyer Rebekah Giles and former president of the Law Council of Australia Arthur Moses SC.
Jan West, another Australia Post director, said the board followed “normal procedure” and as such “I don’t believe an apology is warranted”.
“I do, however, believe we should all be reflecting on what led to the whole set of scenarios and where we find ourselves.”
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who is chairing the Senate inquiry into Ms Holgate’s ousting, said Mr Di Bartolomeo and the rest of the board were “sloppy” over the handling of Ms Holgate’s departure
The board did not seek legal advice before standing Ms Holgate down, nor did it obtain an agreement in writing from her to do so, as required under her employment contract.
“This is the problem, you didn’t do your due diligence. You were sloppy. If you had sorted this out properly in the beginning, we wouldn’t bloody be here,” she told the board at the hearing.
Meanwhile, the union representing postal workers called for the entire board of Australia Post to be sacked, accusing it of carrying out the federal government‘s agenda to privatise the postal service. The government has dismissed plans to privatise Australia Post entirely or in part.
Communications Electrical Plumbing Union divisional secretary Greg Rayner said Australia Post needed to overhaul its board to ensure members were appointed through an independent process: “We need to start from scratch so we can get Australia’s postal network back on track.”
Mr Nutt was allocated his own slot to appear for the inquiry, given he is a key witness to the circumstances leading up to Ms Holgate being stood down, but he was ill and will give evidence next Monday instead.
Mr Nutt acted as the conduit between Ms Holgate and the board, after the Prime Minister demanded she stand aside when it was revealed she rewarded senior Australia Post executives with Cartier watches worth $20,000 in 2018 for securing a banking deal worth $66m a year.
Mr Di Bartolomeo claims Ms Holgate agreed to stand aside during phone conversations the afternoon Mr Morrison “humiliated” her in parliament. Ms Holgate disputes this, saying during that time she was exchanging emails with Mr Nutt, who was helping her draft a statement saying she had requested two weeks’ leave while the watches gift was investigated.
Mr Di Bartolomeo said he spoke to Ms Holgate on the phone during two breaks of a board meeting that afternoon and she agreed to stand aside. Australia Post’s corporate secretary, Nick Macdonald, did not attend the meeting and he wrote the minutes only after Mr Di Bartolomeo relayed proceedings to him.
Pauline Hanson accused the minutes of being “sanitised” and cited an email Ms Holgate sent after the meeting had finished in which she continued to request leave as proof.
All board members (except Mr Nutt) said the minutes were a “full and true record”.
Senator Hanson highlighted several sections of Ms Holgate’s contract she said supported her claim she was stood down unlawfully. The inquiry continues on Monday.
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