The political ambush of Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate that forced her out of Australia Post was a travesty that you must put right.

She did not misuse “taxpayers’ money” in the middle of a recession, as dishonest politicians claimed; rather, the watches she awarded to executives, in 2018, in accordance with Australia Post rules and with the approval of its then Chair, were appropriate recognition for their exceptional work negotiating the best deal in Australia Post’s history.

The $220 million Bank@Post deal with three of the Big Four banks made Australia Post profitable and secured the future of postal services in regional Australia by transforming the fortunes of its 2,850 community licensed post offices, small businesses that had faced bankruptcy, who call Christine Holgate “the best CEO Australia Post has ever had”.

She achieved all this on a much lower salary than her male predecessors.

Christine Holgate’s exceptional management of our essential national postal service deserved acclaim, not the vicious character assassination to which you and other politicians subjected her for political reasons.

The investigation you demanded has exonerated her of any wrongdoing; for the sake of a viable postal service and the community licensed post offices that serve our regional communities, we demand you apologise to Christine Holgate and instruct your Ministers to stand down the current Chair and order the Board to reinstate her as CEO immediately.