Massive pay packets of South Australian Government CEOs revealed
Taxpayers are shelling out more than $10m a year to SA’s top 24 public service bosses. Find out which departmental chiefs have received a huge pay boost.
SA News
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South Australia’s top cop has been given a 10 per cent pay boost taking his salary above $500,000 for the first time.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, who negotiated his contract in July, was the only employed department head to see a boost in pay since March when all Ministers, MPs, executives, including chief executives, and ministerial staff had their pay frozen due to COVID-19.
Treasurer Rob Lucas said Mr Stevens was awarded the pay rise for recognition of the role the commissioner has had to play during the COVID pandemic and an acknowledgment he was the most experienced senior community policing leader in Australia.
“While the Premier signs the contracts between himself and chief executives, he takes advice from the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment (CPSE),” Mr Lucas said.
“The CPSE advised that the challenges of COVID-19 highlight the full scope of his responsibilities and statewide leadership obligations, as well as high-level decision making and accountabilities that follow.”
Mr Stevens’ total salary package rose 10.45% from $479,862 to $530,000.
He is also entitled to a further 3.5% employer superannuation contribution.
Chief executive salaries – that can, but not always include motor vehicles, carparking employer superannuation and salary sacrificed superannuation – range from $262,071 to $625,000.
A number of chief executives are salary sacrificing hundreds of thousands of dollars in superannuation.
The head of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, continues to generate the highest salary of department bosses.
Jim McDowell, who will finish in the role later this month to return to the private sector, is on a total salary package of $614,295.
His replacement Bank SA chief Nick Reade will start in February on a salary package worth $625,000.
Health boss Christopher McGowan is on a package worth $561,000.
Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health boss Paddy Phillips is on a salary of $556,000.
Eleven of South Australia’s chief executives are earning more than the South Australian Premier Steven Marshall’s salary of $418,000.
Talking on behalf of all department heads Mr Lucas said Michelle Edge, who is earning 5.9 per cent more than her predecessor was in the role, was appointed in April this year.
Mr Lucas said Sport and Recreation head Kylie Taylor, who got a pay boost of 19.86 per cent and Green Industries SA’s Vaughan Levitzke, 13.9 per cent, had renegotiated new contracts prior to COVID-19 and the pay freeze, upon expiry of their existing contracts.
Public Service Association General Secretary Nev Kitchin raised concerns about the salaries at the top end of the sector and conditions for others.
“Public servants should be properly remunerated for the difficult work they do,” Mr Kitchin said.
“Public sector workers delivering services on the ground are experiencing job losses, funding cuts, privatisations and facing bare minimum pay increases while their chief executives are raking in huge salaries.
“Half a million dollars for chief executives is a lot of money and difficult to justify.”
