Howard government alumni appear on Tony Nuttâs phone logs during AusPost inquiry Weâre sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss Save Normal text size Tony Nutt departed John Howardâs office â where he served as principal private secretary and chief of staff â itâs great to see the ties that still bind. Tony Nutt Credit:John Shakespeare Phone logs released by the Senate inquiry into Australia Post have provided an intriguing glimpse into AusPost director Nuttâs inner circle when he was confronted by the political storms unleashed by the Cartier watch revelations. In short, they read like a phone directory from the glory days of the Howard government.