Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

This report shows the operations of Australia Post in the last financial year. It is quite an interesting document. Australia Post clearly says that its letter service does not return a profit—it is not the big part of its activities these days. It makes its money, and it does fairly well as I understand it, out of parcel post deliveries.

In looking through this report, I am reminded of the estimates hearing when we inquired of Senator Conroy about a new appointment to Australia Post. We found that the new appointment to Australia Post's board was a relative of Mr Ahmed Fahour, who is the managing director. But that is okay. What we found to be more interesting was that both Mr Fahour and Senator Conroy are very involved in volleyball in Victoria. Lo and behold, who should the new appointee to the board be but another member of the volleyball club in Victoria. It seems that if you want to get on the Australia Post board you have to be in a sporting organisation in Victoria with Senator Conroy. And good on Senator Conroy for promoting women's sport. But that is just a little bit interesting.

I also noticed, in looking at the board and executive, that one of the board members is Mr Peter Carne. Those of us with any association with the law in Queensland would remember a very famous legal firm in Queensland named Goss Downey Carne. Goss, you might recall, is the surname of a former Labor Premier of Queensland, Wayne Goss. In fact, Mr Wayne Goss was a partner in the firm of Goss Downey Carne. Mr Carne is a self-confessed advocate for the Labor Party. One might also say he is 'one of the mates'. He has been, I concede, President of the Law Society. It is interesting to watch Senator Conroy's method of appointing people to the board of Australia Post. It reminds me of his method of appointing people to the NBN Co.