Australia Post chief paid ‘mind-blowing’ $1.2m bonus
Josh Taylor
The outgoing chief executive of Australia Post, Paul Graham, was paid a $1.2m bonus on top of his $1.64m base salary in the last financial year, after the $139.4m sale of property owned by Australia Post pushed the organisation into a profit for the year.
Graham, who announced this month he will retire after five years at the helm in June next year, confirmed to Senate estimates on Tuesday night he had been paid the bonus based on two performance components, with one component related to the “property strategy we had to execute”.
He said the strategy was critical to Australia Post’s transformation:
double quotation markWe do have the great fortune of sitting on property that has been in the network for some time, and it was important for us to get an articulated, clear strategy … releasing those non-core properties from our portfolio and ensuring that they provided the cashflow that not only got us back into a profitable position, but enabled us to make the substantial investments we’re making as part of our transformation.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson told Graham it was a “mind-blowing amount of money”.
Australia Post reported a profit before tax of $31.8m, but had the property sales been excluded, Australia Post would have reported a loss before tax of $107.6m, as the letter volumes fell a further 14.7% in the 2026 financial year.
Australia Post CEO Paul Graham. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare
Updated at 17.47 EDT
Key events
Sarah Basford Canales
Continued from the previous post:
At a brief appearance late last night, the Australian federal police commissioner, Krissy Barrett, revealed the force had received 785 protective security reports regarding adverse content against federal parliamentarians in the first six months of this year.
Barrett said women politicians were three times more likely to report receiving offensive or threatening contact that was sexualised or gender-based in nature while those from culturally and linguistically diverse communities were also more likely to experience “frequent and varied offensive contact”.
ShareSarah Basford Canales
Death threat emails received during Senate estimates, WA senator reveals
The Western Australian senator, Fatima Payman, revealed she had received yet another threatening email in a Senates estimates hearing last night, causing her to cancel a local event this weekend.
Federal politicians are continuing to sound the alarm about safety fears after the brutal alleged attack against Helen Haines last week.
Payman said her office had received an email yesterday evening, saying “watch your back, c***. You’re going to die very, very soon. You dog c***.”
double quotation markNow, this is something we receive daily, but this weekend we were due to hold a community stall at a local market. We have had to cancel it because my staff told me they don’t feel safe after the AFP advised us, and I quote: “An assessment of all available information has been undertaken, and unfortunately, at this stage, the AFP won’t be in attendance to assist.” Can you please tell me how this assessment was made and with what rationale?
The AFP’s deputy commissioner, Scott Lee, responded he could not go into operational details but said:
double quotation markI know our team is certainly looking to talk to your office and your staff as a matter of priority on that assessment.
ShareAustralia Post chief paid ‘mind-blowing’ $1.2m bonusJosh Taylor
The outgoing chief executive of Australia Post, Paul Graham, was paid a $1.2m bonus on top of his $1.64m base salary in the last financial year, after the $139.4m sale of property owned by Australia Post pushed the organisation into a profit for the year.
Graham, who announced this month he will retire after five years at the helm in June next year, confirmed to Senate estimates on Tuesday night he had been paid the bonus based on two performance components, with one component related to the “property strategy we had to execute”.
He said the strategy was critical to Australia Post’s transformation:
double quotation markWe do have the great fortune of sitting on property that has been in the network for some time, and it was important for us to get an articulated, clear strategy … releasing those non-core properties from our portfolio and ensuring that they provided the cashflow that not only got us back into a profitable position, but enabled us to make the substantial investments we’re making as part of our transformation.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson told Graham it was a “mind-blowing amount of money”.
Australia Post reported a profit before tax of $31.8m, but had the property sales been excluded, Australia Post would have reported a loss before tax of $107.6m, as the letter volumes fell a further 14.7% in the 2026 financial year.
Australia Post CEO Paul Graham. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare
Updated at 17.47 EDT
Greens leader says people are disillusioned with Labor delivering for 1%
During his address at the National Press Club today, the leader of the Greens, David Shoebridge, is set to propose a $21-a-week tax cut by increasing taxes on gas exports.
Shoebridge told ABC News Breakfast:
double quotation markWe keep hearing, that there’s nothing that the commonwealth government can do to deal with the urgent cost-of-living crisis that people are feeling.
People need to have faith in politics, and people need to believe that if the current lot you’re voting for are not going to help you in your daily life, if the current lot you’re voting for seem to be delivering for the 1% rather than the people they’re meant to be representing – the millions of Australians who are having trouble paying their daily bills – you have a choice here.
Ideas have a power, hope has a power, and we bloody well need that right now in politics.
Updated at 17.38 EDT
One Nation must explain how Bluey cartoon is satire, Wells says
The communications minister, Anika Wells, said Bluey is one of Australia’s most loved and well-known exports and the ABC is “well within its rights” to explore legal options over One Nation’s use of the dog in its own cartoon series.
Australia’s national broadcaster indicated it would send a cease and desist letter to One Nation for using Bluey in a “shocking and disrespectful” cartoon.
Asked whether One Nation’s depiction goes “over the line”, Wells told ABC Radio National:
double quotation markSatire is one thing, scrutiny is important … the people that are making this cartoon should explain why this errs on the side of satire and not something more.
Updated at 17.05 EDT
Coalition must ‘go back to the drawing board’ on latest social media bill
Asked why the Coalition has not put forward amendments on the reforms, the opposition foreign affairs spokesperson, Ted O’Brien, said the government had to “go back to the drawing board”.
He told ABC Radio National the opposition was concerned about the amount of power offered to the e-safety commissioner, “ill-defined” definitions and harms, and risks to small businesses.
O’Brien said:
double quotation markThe government will not budge on this, which is why we have come to the point where we’ve just said, they have to go back to the drawing board.
The Coalition will always stand ready to be constructive on these things.
But when the governor of the day just refuses to engage, then unfortunately you end up with a bill, which is so untidy – in fact, I think it’s going to be counterproductive to the objects of the bill.
Note: this post has been amended after it was mistakenly attributed to Tim Wilson.
Shadow minister for foreign affairs, Ted O’Brien. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 17.32 EDT
Opposition accused of ‘refusing to participate’ on digital duty of care
The communications minister, Anika Wells, has said she is discussing the government’s latest tranche of social media reforms and has kept her door open to all parliamentarians who want to find ways to improve the bill.
But she told ABC Radio National:
double quotation markThe oppositions say they care about kids’ safety online and I believe them – but parliament is where you prove it.
Where are their amendments?
The test is simple here, they should bring an amendment, not a slogan to kill the bill.
Communications minister Anika Wells. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 16.51 EDT
Online hate is spilling into the real world, AFP warns
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett began her late-night appearance at the Senate estimates hearing noting “a heaviness that hangs across Australia” after the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines.
She said it has aligned with a global trend of violence emerging with little or no warning from individuals largely unknown to authorities.
double quotation markLone actors are being motivated by a convergence of personal grievances, mental health vulnerabilities and ideological concerns …
What helped keep us safe in recent times, such as our geography, analogue systems and far away criminals, has been impacted by fully integrated technology, social media and artificial intelligence.
Barrett told the Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday night technology has enabled an “instant pipeline of hate” delivered to people’s homes, including teenagers, and workplaces because of the ubiquity of devices.
– Australian Associated Press
AFP commissioner Krissy Barrett (right). Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.53 EDT
Adeshola Ore
Racism going undercounted in Australia, report finds
Data on racism is inconsistent across jurisdictions and leading to people’s experience of discrimination being severely misrepresented, a report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has found.
The recommendation to develop a national anti-racism data plan was contained in the commission’s national anti-racism framework released in 2024, but to which the Albanese government is yet to respond.
The report also recommends strengthening the monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs designed to eliminate racism.
The race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, said:
double quotation markWe hear about the devastating impacts of racism from communities every day. But many experiences go unreported or uncounted, and our systems often do not capture the full picture.
This is not about collecting more data to prove racism exists. We already know it does. It is about making inequality visible, holding institutions to account and giving communities greater agency over their data to drive real change.
Updated at 16.51 EDT
PM did not mislead voters over golf club grant, Murray Watt says
The environment minister, Murray Watt, has backed the prime minister after he conceded “it was not correct” to say a $6m grant to the Marrickville golf club was for sewerage works.
Asked whether Anthony Albanese misled parliament over this grant, Watt told ABC News Breakfast:
double quotation markThe prime minister was correct in saying that the original announcement included that sewerage work to remove pollution going into the Cooks River. Obviously, the situation changed with the New South Wales government making a similar commitment
Minister for the environment, Murray Watt. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 16.54 EDT
Australia pays biggest bill for global diesel crisis
Australia has paid more than twice as much as any other nation in additional diesel import costs during the global fuel crisis, with a report putting the toll at $9bn over six months.
The added cost equates to $324 for every Australian, exceeding the bills incurred by Brazil, South Africa, France and the UK.
The Climate Council released the figures from its energy security scorecard on Wednesday, which also found Australia paid an extra $1.6bn for petrol imports.
The findings come days after oil prices reached a six-month high amid escalating threats in the Middle East.
– Australian Associated Press
Australia has paid more than any other nation in additional fuel import costs since the Iran war. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersShare
Updated at 17.34 EDT
Tom McIlroy
No new numbers on social media ban deactivations due to investigations
The eSafety commissioner won’t release updated figures on the number of accounts held by under-16s that have been deactivated or suspended in the social media ban.
In March, the commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, announced that TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat were under investigation for compliance with the ban, and with new powers to compel the companies to produce documents, that investigation is under way, Inman Grant told Senate estimates last night.
Anthony Albanese has said more than 5m accounts have been deactivated across 10 platforms, but no more updated figures will be coming while the investigations are ongoing as it may prejudice the outcome of those investigations, officials told Senate estimates.
No decision has been made as to whether to take any of the platforms to court to seek fines of nearly $100m for breaches of the law.
The government has resisted providing a public breakdown of the accounts deactivated across the 10 platforms but some companies – such as Meta and Snapchat – have provided their own figures.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson requested the eSafety commissioner release the data publicly as “the numbers don’t add up”, indicating that the committee was provided much more detail privately by eSafety on the figures that had not been made public.
The question was taken on notice.
Updated at 16.48 EDT
Kat Wong
Thanks for kicking things off this morning, Martin Farrer. I’ll take us through the blog for another busy sitting day.
ShareeSafety commissioner and family subjected to ‘onslaught of online abuse and threats’Josh Taylor
Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said she and her family had been subjected to an onslaught of online abuse and threats in the 10 years she has been in the role.
In her final appearance before Senate estimates last night, Inman Grant said it was a “sensitive and pivotal moment” for the parliament in the wake of the alleged attack on Helen Haines, and the environment was “dangerously febrile for women in senior government roles.”
double quotation markWhen public officials are used for political point scoring, a target goes on our backs and we are subjected to an onslaught of online abuse and threats.
As many of you know, this has been the normal state of affairs for me and my family for years, yet somehow this is meant to be accepted as part of public service.
e-Safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Inman Grant did not name any people who have targeted her personally, but her work in the role has seen her labelled as a “censorship commissar” by the world’s richest person, Elon Musk. US Republican congressman Jim Jordan labelled Inman Grant as a “zealot for global takedowns”.
Inman Grant said more needs to be done for the next generation of leaders to feel safe in online spaces or public-facing roles.
double quotation markSocial media is no longer the once envisioned digital town square – it has become more like a gladiatorial arena.
Meanwhile, platforms continue to roll back abuse and violent speech policies that let some of the most egregious offenders out of digital jail.
Read our story here:
Updated at 16.16 EDT
Shoebridge to pitch increased welfare spending, hike in tax-free thresholdTom McIlroy
The Greens leader, David Shoebridge, will address the National Press Club in Canberra today, promising to help Australians struggling with cost-of-living and answering questions about allegations against senator Jordon Steele-John.
He will propose lifting the tax-free threshold from $18,200 to $26,000, meaning people earning a wage won’t pay tax on their first $26,000. He says that will save the average working Australian more than $1,000.
The Greens are also proposing a $1,000 annual boost for people on income support, including pensioners, carers, students, and job seekers.
double quotation markNo matter who you are, whether you’re working, studying, looking for work or on a pension, you’ll get more than $1,000.
Costings for the Greens from the Parliamentary Budget Office show the plan would cost about $22bn a year, with Shoebridge proposing to pay for it through higher taxes on gas exports and a market-based tax on resources companies.
Steele-John is on leave from parliament amid an investigation into allegations about his conduct towards women. He has denied the allegations.
Greens senator David Shoebridge. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 16.11 EDT
Inflation expected to rise to 4.2%
Patrick Commins
Official data released at 11:30am are expected to show inflation accelerated to 4.2% in the year to September, from 4% in the month before, as rising fuel costs amid a worsening Middle East conflict compound cost of living pressures.
Look out for the Reserve Bank’s preferred gauge of underlying inflation, which removes the most volatile prices. That measure is predicted to hold at 3.6% in the year to the September quarter, economists say, but anything higher will virtually guarantee a fifth interest rate hike next Tuesday.
The RBA may feel the need to hike regardless, as recent comments from top central bank officials suggest they are more worried about high inflation becoming entrenched in the system than the rising rate of unemployment.
Financial markets are pricing in about a 65% chance of a Melbourne Cup day rate rise.
The latest inflation report also lands in the middle of a parliamentary sitting week, and the opposition will be quick to use the figures to attack Labor for its management of the economy.
Rising unemployment and accelerating inflation is not a situation anyone is comfortable with. But a more benign set of numbers today will take the heat off mortgaged households, the Reserve Bank and the Albanese government.
Updated at 15.59 EDT
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Kat Wong with the main action.
Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, told Senate estimates last night that she and her family had been subjected to an onslaught of online abuse and threats in the 10 years she has been in the role. More details in a minute.
The latest inflation figures will be released at 11.30am and are expected to show an increase in prices of 4.2% in the year to September. That means the chances of a rate hike on Melbourne Cup day next week will also rise. More coming up.
Updated at 16.54 EDT