Australia Post's First Female CEO "Forced to Resign Because She Is a Woman... Prime Minister Should Apologize"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Christine Holgate, the first female CEO of Australia Post, has demanded a public apology, claiming she was forced to resign due to undue pressure from Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

On the 14th, Australian media reported that Holgate appeared before the Australian Federal Senate inquiry the previous day, criticizing that Prime Minister Morrison played a decisive role in her resignation last year.

Holgate was disgraced and forced to step down after it was revealed that she had given Cartier watches worth a total of 20,000 Australian dollars (approximately 17 million KRW) to four executives in October last year. She actively explained that the gifts were tokens of appreciation for executives who secured a major contract between Australia Post and a bank in 2018, but amid widespread criticism, she abruptly resigned as CEO of Australia Post on November 3 last year.

At the Senate inquiry addressing her resignation the previous day, she stated, "The Prime Minister insulted me, who had done nothing wrong, and under his directive, the chairman of the (Australia Post) board pressured me, leading to my illegal resignation." She revealed that although she did not want to disclose it, she had even considered extreme measures at the time.

In a media interview, she emphasized that being a 'woman' was an absolute factor in the controversy surrounding her resignation and urged Prime Minister Morrison to apologize.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.