Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate (pictured) has stood aside after luxury watches worth $12,000 were given to executives
An Australia Post worker has delivered a cheeky response after the company’s CEO Christine Holgate was ordered to quit when it emerged high-performing executives were given watches worth $12,000.
Ms Holgate has stood aside from her position at the top of the national postal service after the lavish expenses were revealed at a senate estimate hearing on Thursday.
The $2.6million-a-year CEO admitted to giving four $3,000 Cartier watches to highly-paid executives to thank them for brokering a deal to offer banking services to post office customers in 2018.
Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and NAB had paid a combined $66million to Australia Post as part of the Bank@Post deal so their customers could access banking services at locations across the country.
As public anger over the revelations flowed online, a member of Australia Post’s social media team suggested in a since-deleted comment on the company’s official Twitter account he was unhappy he hadn’t been rewarded for his hard work.
The comment came in response to a tweet saying front line employees had worked just as hard as the company’s executives.
‘Front line postal workers put in an inordinate amount of work, too. Where are their Cartier watches,’ one social media user wrote.
‘Don’t forget about the behind the scenes and customer support workers,’ Australia Post’s official account responded – signing off as ‘Liam’.
‘My wrist is light.’
File image of an Australia Post worker. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday the extravagant gifts were ‘disgraceful’
A member of Australia Post’s social media team cheekily suggested in a since-deleted comment on the company’s official Twitter account he was unhappy he hadn’t been rewarded for his hard work
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Australia Post for comment.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier said the gifts were disgraceful and appalling.
‘She’s been instructed to stand aside and if she doesn’t do that, she can go,’ he told parliament on Thursday.
Australia Post is a commercial business that does not get taxpayer funding – but its only shareholder is the Australian government which means its finances are scrutinised by politicians.
Mr Morrison said the government has launched a four-week investigation into the lavish gifts.
‘We are the shareholders of Australia Post on behalf of the Australian people,’ he said.
Ms Holgate – who earns $2.6million a year – gave four $3,000 Cartier watches to well-paid bosses as a reward for clinching a deal to do banking at post offices in 2018 (stock image)
‘As any shareholder would in a company raise their outrage if they had seen that conduct, by a chief executive, management or the board, they would insist rightly on the same thing.’
Australia Post chairman Lucio Di Bartolomeo said in a statement later on Thursday Ms Holgate would stand aside from her role while her conduct is investigated.
‘The Australia Post board and management team will fully co-operate with the recently announced investigation to be conducted by shareholder departments,’ he said.
Ms Holgate said the watches were given as a reward to four executives who worked hard over a deal with Australia’s big banks. Pictured: An Australia Post store in Sydney
‘Group CEO & managing director Christine Holgate will stand aside during the investigation. During this time, Rodney Boys, chief financial officer, will be acting in the role.’
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said boards and managers of government business enterprises needed to take great care with how they spend money.
‘I was as shocked and concerned as everybody else to discover this,’ he told parliament.
‘This is a matter which the Australian government take seriously.’
Ms Holgate said the watches were given as an appropriate reward to four executives who worked hard over a deal with Australia’s big banks.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the gifts were as unacceptable and ordered her to step down
‘They were a small number of senior people who’d put an inordinate amount of work in,’ she said.
‘They did receive an award on behalf of the chair, myself and the board.’
Labor senator Kimberley Kitching grilled Mr Boys, who couldn’t say how the watches were paid for.
‘You spent $12,000 on watches and you can’t tell me what credit card you put it on?’ she said.
Mr Boys said the organisation took great care over $7.4 billion worth of expenses.
Ms Holgate did not receive a watch but senior executive Gary Starr, who also appeared before the committee and earned $809,648 in the past financial year., did.
Mr Starr was not wearing the watch and denied he had given it away as a gift.
Ms Holgate was born in Cheshire, England and moved to Australia to work for Telstra in 2003.
In 2008 she was made CEO of health supplements company Blackmores before landing the top job at Australia Post in 2017.