Henderson slams Australia Post over post office tenders

VICTORIAN Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson and the acting chief executive officer and managing director of Australia Post have gone head-to-head about the process behind setting up licensed post offices (LPOs) in Ocean Grove and Armstrong Creek.

Rodney Boys took over the helm at Australia Post following the controversial departure of Christine Holgate, and appeared in front of the Environment and Communications References Committee’s inquiry into the circumstances around Ms Holgate being stood down.

Senator Henderson, who sits on the federal Parliamentary committee, used her questions to repeatedly ask Mr Boys about the “basis on which there is a tender for some LPOs and there is not a tender for others, giving no other person an opportunity to tender for a business that you establish in a particular community”, using the LPOs proposed for Ocean Grove and Armstrong Creek as examples.

Senator Henderson claimed two Australia Post executives advised her and Kingston Village Lotto and Gifts owner Cameron Waring via teleconference of the decision to set up a new LPO at the Kingston Village estate and later confirmed it via email.

She said Australia Post then misled her and Mr Waring by later issuing an expression of interest for an LPO in Ocean Grove more broadly.

Senator Henderson also claimed Australia Post had told her the LPO at Armstrong Creek Town Centre was set up via a transfer process but the business was actually a newly established LPO.

Responding to Senator Henderson’s questions at last month’s hearing, Mr Boys said the expression of interest for an LPO in Ocean Grove was for the whole area and one possible location was Kingston Village, the two Australia Post executives did not give a commitment to establish an LPO in Kingston Village, and the email from one of the Australia Post executives to Senator Henderson was “hastily drafted”.

“Respectfully, I have told you the truth and we will take away the question on notice,” Mr Boys said.

“You haven’t told me the truth. You haven’t told me the truth at all,” Senator Henderson replied.

Committee chair Sarah Hanson-Young from the Greens said she “did not want to discount the importance” of Senator Henderson’s questions but noted they “did fall outside the terms of reference” for the inquiry.

Corangamite Labor federal member Libby Coker said she was not aware of any integrity issues regarding Australia Post’s decision to establish an LPO in Armstrong Creek.