Vital Signs: Christine Holgate's 'principal' error was applying corporate logic to Australia Post

By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW

Perhaps the most important lesson from the Christine Holgate controversy is that the confluence of sexism and politics leads to double standards for female executives.

But Holgate’s demise – pushed from her position as Australia Post’s chief executive last November for gifting four senior executives Cartier watches (worth a total of almost A$20,000) in 2018 – is also a good example of how public-sector norms and private-sector competition don’t mix well.

Read complete article

~	It never rains but it pours: intense rain and flash floods have increased inland in eastern Australia

~	‘It could be the death of the museum’: why research cuts at a South Australian institution have scientists up in arms

~	Rugby stadiums are sold as an economic asset – but NZ needs to ask if they’re really worth it

~	The ‘devil comet’ 12P/Pons-Brooks has finally become visible from Australia. What can we expect?

~	Some families push back against journalists who mine social media for photos – they have every right to

~	I wholeheartedly recommend The President: a brilliant revival of a play of decay, terror and revulsion

~	Many prisoners go years without touching a smartphone. It means they struggle to navigate life on the outside

~	Good news: midlife health is about more than a waist measurement. Here’s why

~	Are 2 mid-career AFL retirements a sign Australian athletes are taking brain health more seriously?

~	Thirty years ago today, West Indies cricketer Brian Lara made history