Ahmed Fahour's comeback to Pauline Hanson came straight from the heart.
"I love our country so much," the outgoing managing director of Australian Post told a Senate committee in Canberra on Tuesday.
The One Nation leader was nowhere to be seen.
Mr Fahour, making his final appearance before a Senate estimates hearing, was responding to repeated criticism from Senator Hanson.
Last week he announced he would be leaving the government-owned corporation in July, not long after his $5.6 million salary prompted criticism from the prime minister down.
Asked whether he thought his Muslim faith contributed to the public debate and outcome, Mr Fahour admitted it was a difficult conversation to have.
"I felt really sad for the senator that she would descend to that level of commentary," he said of Senator Hanson's YouTube videos.
Her comments were ill-informed and hurtful to his English-Irish wife and children, who were born all over the world, he said.
"I love our country so much and I'm grateful for every opportunity that it's given me and my family," Mr Fahour said.
"I'm here to help stop Australia Post from going down the Kodak path."
Mr Fahour said he was given a mission in 2010 to save Australia Post and its workers.
"There was no consideration for anything other than saving this iconic company," he said.
Mr Fahour says he sees so much of his own family's history when he looks at the workers.
"Yes I'm proud to say English wasn't my first language. Yes I'm an immigrant but I came here legitimately and we grew up and we went to school and worked really hard.
"We assimilated and we love being in this country and the law of this country is the most important thing for me."
Mr Fahour said no one pressured him to go.
"In fact if I was pressured I probably wouldn't have resigned," he said.
Asked what was next he told senators he just wants to get on a flight and go home.
Mr Fahour revealed he won't be getting a golden handshake on the way out of Australia Post.
"There's no goodbye, there's not even a watch - I'm hoping to get a stamp though," he said.
But the self-confessed "yesterday's man" wouldn't mind one other thing - a call from Malcolm Turnbull.
"I'm sure in the fullness of time he'll ring me up and offer to buy me a beer and thank me for all my years of service," he said.
"Maybe that's asking too much."
Senator Hanson did not appear at the hearing to ask Mr Fahour questions.
