'Humiliating': Christine Holgate says she has not been told to stand down from Australia Post

In a statement released by her lawyers, Ms Holgate said she supported a "fair investigation", but that she had not been formally notified by the Australia Post board that she had been stood down.

"Ms Holgate has not had any proper notification that she has been stood down from her role, nor has she been informed as to why she should be stood down," the statement from Bryan Belling, partner at employment law firm Kingston Reid, said.

Mr Belling said Ms Holgate had also received no communication from either the government or the Australia Post board regarding the investigation launched last week into her decision to reward employees with Cartier watches worth $20,000.

"The chair stands by his previously made statement on Thursday 22 October that Ms Holgate will stand aside and this was agreed to by both parties in a telephone conversation," the statement said.

The relationship between Ms Holgate and Australia Post chair Lucio Di Bartolomeo was set on a collision course last week, after he released a statement correcting her evidence to a Senate estimates hearing where she disclosed the watch purchases.