Scott Morrison orders the boss of Australia Post to stand down

Scott Morrison orders the boss of Australia Post to stand down after explosive claims she spent $12,0000 on Cartier watches for senior staff

  • Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate has been asked to step down from job
  • She said she gifted Cartier watches worth $3,000 each to senior executives
  • Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for her to step down for an investigation 

Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate has been asked to step down after the company spent $12,000 on Cartier watches for senior executive staff.

Ms Holgate was questioned at the Senates estimates hearing in Canberra on Thursday as to why she gifted executives with $3,000 Cartier watches back in 2018. 

She said the watches were for senior staff members who were working on the Bank@Post agreement which would allow Australians to do their banking at the post office. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called out Ms Holgate’s behaviour as unacceptable and if she doesn’t step aside then ‘she can go’.

‘I was appalled, it’s disgraceful, and it’s not on,’ Mr Morrison said.

‘If there are issues to be addressed with board members, then they will be addressed.

‘As any shareholder in a company would raise their outrage if they had seen that conduct by a chief executive, a management, a board – they would rightly insist on the same thing.’  

Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate (pictured) has been asked to step down after revealing she splurged $12,000 on Cartier watches for senior executive staff

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called out Ms Holgate's behaviour as unacceptable and if she doesn't step aside then 'she can go'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called out Ms Holgate’s behaviour as unacceptable and if she doesn’t step aside then ‘she can go’

Ms Holgate defended her rewarding and said her staff members put in a lot of work to successfully make the deal. 

‘They were a small number of senior people who’d put an inordinate amount of work in,’ she told the hearing. 

‘They did receive an award on behalf of the chair, myself and the board.’   

Labor senator Kimberley Kitching also questioned chief financial officer Rodney 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.

Ms Holgate was questioned at the Senates estimates hearing in Canberra on Thursday as to why she gifted executives with $3,000 Cartier watches back in 2018 (stock)

Ms Holgate was questioned at the Senates estimates hearing in Canberra on Thursday as to why she gifted executives with $3,000 Cartier watches back in 2018 (stock)

Mr Boys said the organisation took great care of $7.4 billion worth of expenses.

Senator Kitching once again took aim at Ms Holgate asking if it was ‘appropriate to gift’ 

‘Do you, Ms Holgate, consider it appropriate to use taxpayers’ money for Cartier watches for already highly remunerated Australia Post executives?’ she asked.

‘We do not receive government funding,’ Ms Holgate said.

‘We are a commercial organisation. It was a recommendation from our chair that these people get rewarded.’