Australia Post chairman Lucio Di Bartolomeo returns fire at Christine Holgate’s claims

Lucio Di Bartolomeo issues a near 1000-word statement ‘correcting’ Christine Holgate’s claims.

Australia Post chairman Lucio Di Bartolomeo. Picture: Getty Images

Australia Post’s chair Lucio Di Bartolomeo has hit back at former chief executive Christine Holgate’s claims that he lied to the Senate and unlawfully stood her down over gifting Cartier watches to four senior executives.

In a near 1000-word statement issued late on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Di Bartolomeo said Ms Holgate was “a very good chief executive” but said she made a series of incorrect claims in her 151-page submission to a Senate inquiry into her departure.

The lengthy note from the chairman is on top of Australia Post’s submission to the inquiry, which exceeds Ms Holgate’s at 156 pages.

“It is important to correct some of the points attributed to Ms Holgate in recent media reporting. I felt it was important to clarify these points at the earliest opportunity,” Mr Di Bartolomeo said.

Ms Holgate meanwhile has declined to comment further, instead waiting for the inquiry, which is scheduled to begin next Tuesday.

Her main claim was she never agreed to stand aside from her role, despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying “if she doesn’t wish to do that, she can go” after the Finance and Communication departments launched an investigation into Australia Post expenses.

Given she didn’t agree to stand down, Ms Holgate says Mr Di Bartolomeo’s actions were unlawful.

But the chair has reiterated his previous public comments about Ms Holgate’s departure, which she has since described as “the most harrowing 10 days of my career”.

“Ms Holgate agreed with me to stand aside from her role pending the outcome of the shareholder departments’ investigation and any further actions taken by Australia Post. The board’s intent was to ensure that both Ms Holgate and the organisation could focus their attentions on full co-operation with the investigation.

“The board did not stand down, or suspend, Ms Holgate from her role – that being an unnecessary consideration given her agreement to stand aside.”

Mr Di Bartolomeo said the agreement was struck in telephone discussions, contradicting Ms Holgate’s claim that she had only communicated with him via two emails on the afternoon Mr Morrison demanded in parliament she stand aside.

“Ms Holgate claims that she did not speak with me that afternoon at all after Question Time – the relevant parts of which occurred between approximately 2.30pm and 2.40pm. However, phone records support my recollection – including that we had conversations at 4:27pm and 5.50pm on that day.”

He also said Ms Holgate resigned from her role, in response to her comments that she only “offered to resign” and never signed a deed of release.

“Ms Holgate wrote to Australia Post at 10.46am on November 2 2020 advising her resignation with immediate effect and that she would not be seeking financial compensation and attaching a public statement that she said that she would release at 2.00pm.

“We understand that Ms Holgate then released the statement at 2.00pm and subsequently advised the Australia Post Executive Team at 2.29pm that she had done so.”

Christine Holgate, former chief executive of Australia Post. Picture: John Feder

But in Ms Holgate’s submission to the inquiry, she said she had a witness who supported her version of events that she was unlawfully stood down – with Australia Post’s human resources boss Sue Davies joining her on the three-hour drive back to Sydney from Canberra after Mr Morrison’s thunderous comments in Question Time.

It is in those three hours that Ms Holgate and Mr Di Bartolomeo exchanged emails and a statement was issued about her future at the postal service.

“Straight after the incident my husband organised and paid personally for a car to collect me and drive me back to my Sydney home. Sue Davies, the executive general manager people and culture travelled back with me to Sydney in the car,” Ms Holgate wrote in her submission.

“She is a key witness to all events that afternoon as she was with me at all times.”

The Senate inquiry’s committee is yet to release its witness list but it is understood that Ms Davies will give evidence and therefore hold the key as to whether Mr Di Bartolomeo “lied” and Ms Holgate was stood down unlawfully.

In his lengthy statement Mr Di Bartolomeo also said it was incorrect that he sought to restrict Ms Holgate working elsewhere for 12 months, despite Australia Post not paying her any compensation to do so.

“Ms Holgate claims that I made a counteroffer which would have prevented her from working for 12 months without pay. That is not correct.

“The existing provisions of Ms Holgate’s contract of employment contained non-compete provisions, as is common for such senior executive roles. These provisions apply only to working for a competitor for a period of six months from the end of Ms Holgate’s employment – and therefore expire on May 2 2021.

“Regarding payment, Ms Holgate had already advised the Board and stated publicly that she was not seeking any financial compensation.”

In regard to Ms Holgate saying whenever she sought support from Australia Post it was met with “continuous requests to examine credit card expense records, on the disguise that they must be made public, presumably to cause me even greater harm”, Mr Di Bartolemo said he was merely complying with a freedom of information request.

“She also claims there were leaks of misleading reports regarding the management of expenses. This is not correct.

“Australia Post was obligated to disclose information regarding credit card transactions and other expenses, in response to Senate Committee questions and Freedom of Information requests.”