PM’S APPALLING TREATEMENT OF CHRISTINE HOLGATE DESERVES SENATE INQUIRY
MEDIA RELEASE
Senator Hanson today delivered a speech in the Senate regarding the treatment of Ms Christine Holgate. The speech was unexpectedly cut short and below is the remainder of the speech which is particularly focussed on the actions and reactions by the Prime Minister, his relevant Minsters and the Chair of Australia Post.
Senator Hanson today delivered a speech in the Senate regarding the treatment of Ms Christine Holgate. The speech was unexpectedly cut short and below is the remainder of the speech which is particularly focussed on the actions and reactions by the Prime Minister, his relevant Minsters and the Chair of Australia Post.
“Instead, as loyal Liberal Party members they made a statement that did not support their CEO
“The Prime Minister this morning is widely quoted as boasting in regard to another matter, and I quote – “My standards don’t change”.
“That’s a real shame – especially when we see the damage his standards and those of his Ministers and Liberal-friendly board members have so far done to Christine Holgate, reputationally, financially and in terms of her health.
“The Prime Minister should be saying his double standards don’t change.
“Just look at NBN, where Tom McIlroy reported in the AFR last week, the company paid staff nearly $80 million dollars in bonuses in the second half of 2020. That’s 80 million dollars including a bonus of $1.2 million to the CEO taking his package to more than $3 million – almost double what was paid to Ms Holgate.
“Where’s the Prime Minister’s outrage?
“Where was the government’s outrage when the previous CEO of Australia Post quit and walked away with a package of almost $11 million after gifting executives cash and cars?
“And when the current Chair of Australia Post denied ever seeing the BCG Report into the sustainability of Australia Post forgetting he flew to Canberra to discuss the report with the relevant Ministers and conveniently forgetting the five and a half hour board meeting he called to discuss the report?
“Where’s the Prime Minister’s outrage on those statements?
“The Prime Minister’s actions, and the actions of the Australia Post Chair and board over Ms Holgate, have so far cost what – around 350 thousand dollars to launch a new global search for a replacement to Ms Holgate?
“Perhaps a million or two for the Maddox Inquiry?
“The loss of confidence of Australia Post’s 80,000 employees and the effects on performance?
“The loss of business opportunities put in front of Australia Post’s existing management without Ms Holgate?
“The potential payout to Ms Holgate should she launch legal proceedings against Australia Post and its board? Maybe in the tens of millions of dollars?
“The message sent to any incoming CEO of any major government-related corporation that they’ll be thrown under the bus when the board does the bidding of it’s political masters.”
The following two paras were delivered as the conclusion of this morning’s speech:
“All over 20 thousand dollars worth of watches that Ms Holgate was fully authorised to present in keeping with normal commercial practice that rewarded one of the most financially advantageous deals in the history of Australia Post.
“The actions of the Prime Minister, his relevant Ministers and the Chair and Board of Australia Post and their appalling treatment of Ms Holgate, deserve nothing less than a Senate Inquiry.”
