#ChristineHolgate has been abused and bullied out of her job by the PM. No amount of gaslighting can obscure this. We all saw it on the floor of the House of Representatives. It was brutal and misogynistic as he revelled in humiliating someone he should have defended. 1/6

Three excuses have been offered.
First - he didn’t intend to offend. Well that’s a bad joke. He is not so lacking in EQ not to know that his bullying abuse would be a shattering humiliation of Holgate 2/6

Second - Labor started it. They did. But so what? He should have defended one of the most respected Australian CEOs who had done an outstanding job at Australia Post. Labor went low and the PM went lower. 3/6

Third - Holgate’s giving watches as a bonus was improper and misuse of public funds. The bonuses amounted in total to about $30,000. A tiny fraction of what is regularly given as bonuses in the ordinary course of business including at AusPost and other government enterprises. 4/6

So if the bonus was paid in cash it would have gone unremarked. The choice of watches was unusual. But it was within her authority. Holgate should have been defended. Instead she was bullied, abused and abandoned. It would not have happened to a man. 5/6

The message this has sent to women is as unmistakeable as it is bleak. The message to those who work for Govt businesses is they can expect no loyalty or respect from their political masters. The only protected species, apparently, are the politicians themselves. 6/6