Australia Post “welcomes” report on contractor compliance
Australia Post has said that it has “welcomed” the release of a report into its management of compliance matters related to contract arrangements with former Victorian delivery contractor Oz Trade Pty Ltd. The review, chaired independently by former Victorian Police Commissioner Ken Lay with support from law firm Allens Linklaters, made 10 recommendations to strengthen Australia Post’s contractor compliance processes.
However, in a statement posted on 4 December, Australia Post emphasised that: “The review found no evidence that anyone at the organisation knew, or should have known, of the matters leading to the arrest of the independent contractor representative Bobby Singh on charges unrelated to his arrangements with Australia Post.”
As previously reported by Post&Parcel, Baljit “Bobby” Singh was one of three men arrested in August as the police investigated claims that he had provided fake student visas to overseas workers.
In the statement issued on 4 December, Australia Post Managing Director & Group CEO Ahmed Fahour announced that a national compliance team has been established to implement all 10 recommendations, with work already commenced.
“It was important to take a thorough look at how we manage compliance matters relating to delivery contractors and I am pleased to say we have already started implementing the review’s recommendations,” said Fahour.
“Australia Post is incredibly focussed on strengthening our existing processes, including improving contractor induction to our organisation and increasing our random audit and compliance checks.
“Make no mistake – we will not tolerate any behaviour outside of the law and we have the full support of our employees and their unions in taking a strong stand.”