Australian Greens: Call for Senate Committee to reconvene questioning on Holgate sacking with revelations…

The Greens will ask the Senate Environment and Communications Committee which held an inquiry into the sacking of Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate to reconvene questioning of the departments and ministers involved, after revelations former PM Scott Morrison was a shareholder minister at the time. 

In 2020, Scott Morrison called on Ms Holgate to resign after it was revealed she gave Cartier watches to Australia Post executives, saying she should stand aside “or she can go”, raising questions of political interference by the former PM. 

Following the Finance Department’s review in the matter, a Senate Inquiry was held which heard evidence from the Finance Department. At no point was the Committee informed that when Scott Morrison attacked Ms Holgate in the parliament, that he was also the responsible minister. 

Chair of the Committee, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“There are serious questions about whether the former PM Scott Morrison and the Finance Minister at the time, misled the parliament. 

“There are serious questions about whether the Department of Finance misled the Senate. 

“Scott Morrison’s treatment of Ms Holgate was appalling, and the Committee found he had showed a lack of respect for due process and procedural fairness. Now we find out he was the secret minister all along.

“I will be asking the Committee to reconvene questioning the Department and former Ministers involved – including the ‘minister in secret’ Scott Morrison. I will also be asking whether there is a case here for referring the Privileges Committee to examine whether the senate was misled. 

“The Department either lied, withheld information, or didn’t know. This is a despicable state of affairs whichever way you look at it.”