Australia Post chief Christine Holgate accuses PM of ‘humiliating’ her
Embattled Australia Post boss Christine Holgate has hired lawyers, saying she was not formally notified about being stood down and that the PM ‘humiliated’ her.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- $150K art grant at centre of Aus Post’s latest spending scandal
- ‘My wrist is light’: Aus Post staff clap back on Twitter
Australia Post has rejected claims it did not properly notify Christine Holgate about standing down as chief executive, as the embattled boss accused the Prime Minister of “humiliating” her.
In a statement released by her lawyers, Ms Holgate claimed she had not been formally notified by the board of Australia Post that she had been stood down while an investigation into luxury watches gifted to senior staff was carried out.
Ms Holgate has been criticised for rewarding her staff with $20,000 worth of Cartier watches.
She said she supported a “fair investigation”, but claimed she had not been formally notified by the Australia Post board about the process.
“Ms Holgate has not had any proper notification that she has been stood down from her role, nor has she been informed as to why she should be stood down,” Bryan Belling, partner at law firm Kingston Reid, said.
“Legally, in my opinion there are no grounds for Ms Holgate to be stood down, and ‘optics’ is not a legally valid defence.”
But a spokesman for Australia Post told The Daily Telegraph the board had been “communicating frequently” with Ms Holgate about the situation and “ensuring appropriate support has been provided”.
“The chair stands by his previously made statement on Thursday, 22 October, that Ms Holgate will stand aside and this was agreed to by both parties in a telephone conversation,” he said.
The statement from Ms Holgate’s lawyers also took aim at Mr Morrison, who told parliament last week he was “shocked and appalled” about the purchase of the watches.
“It is now exactly seven days since Ms Holgate was the subject of a humiliating answer during Question Time,” the statement from her lawyers said.
Mr Belling said Ms Holgate had also not been told about the investigation into the Cartier watches by Australia Post or the federal government.
He said under general employment law, the Australia Post board was required to “formally” inform Ms Holgate that she had been stood down, and on what grounds.
“This is the case under general employment law, as well as the specifics of Australia Post’s own employment regulations. The board has failed to do so,” Mr Belling said.
It comes as Ms Holgate’s long-term business mentor, Blackmores healthcare founder Marcus Blackmore, demanded politicians apologise to her.
He said Ms Holgate, who was chief executive of Blackmores for almost a decade, had been “crying for days”.
“You wouldn’t do this (treatment) to your dog … she might have been out of line but don’t crucify her, for God’s sake,” Mr Blackmore told The Australian.
“I saw what it did to her, she was crying for days, she was devastated. It was awful.
“It was four watches, for God’s sake. Women like Cartier watches. She likes watches, she wanted to give people something memorable.”
Ms Holgate told Senate estimates last week her office had bought Cartier watches for four employees in October 2018 as reward for finalising a major deal with three major banks.
Ms Holgate told Senate estimates last week that her office had bought Cartier watches for four employees in October 2018 as reward for finalising a major deal with three large banks.
Originally published as Australia Post chief Christine Holgate accuses PM of ‘humiliating’ her
Vapes, weed, grog: Social media has a lot to answer for
Illegal and banned substances are become more and more common thanks to an alarming social media trend.
Royal coup: King Charles set for shock Everest appearance
King Charles could put the royal back into Royal Randwick. With no official engagement planned on Everest Day, the door is open for him to attend the race meeting.