Public sector workers get hefty pay rise as taxpayers shell out $50m a year to pay them all

New figures show there are 65 Queensland public sector workers earning more than the Premier’s $427,561 salary, with two of them now being paid more than $1m a year. SEE THE FULL LIST

A majority of Queensland’s senior public sector workers are paid more than the Premier, with comprehensive analysis of the salaries of top executives revealing two people are now paid more than $1m each a year.

SEE THE FULL LIST OF TOP PUBLIC SERVANTS’ PAY BELOW

The data has also revealed a swath of chief executive changeovers have cost taxpayers millions of dollars as agencies shell out for golden handshakes and covering the salaries of interim and acting heads.

The highest paid executive across state-owned corporations, departments or agencies is Queensland Treasury Corporation’s chief executive Leon Allen who was appointed in February 2023 and received $462,450 in the role as of June this year.

QTC ultimately spent $1.64m paying its chief executives in 2022/23 financial year, with former head Philip Noble paid $1.05m — $385,476 of that a lump-sum payment as he exited the role — after 12 years at the helm.

Queensland Treasury Corporation chief executive Leon Allen. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Powerlink chief executive Prof Paul Simshauser. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Mr Noble’s salary came to $1.3m in the 2021/22 financial year.

Energy Queensland paid its chief executives a total of $1.87m in 2022/23, with former head Rod Duke getting $1.7m including a $637,000 golden handshake as he left in April. Mr Duke’s salary for the 2021/22 financial year was $1.024m.

New chief executive Peter Scott took over at the end of April and pocketed $163,000 after two months in the role.

The hunt for a new boss also impacted the bottom line of the Mackay Hospital and Health Service, which ultimately shelled out $627,000 in 2022/23 to pay three different acting chief executives after the departure of Lisa Davies-Jones in September 2022.

This was a significant jump in expenses consider the Mackay HHS chief executive earned $356,000 in 2021/22.

Powerlink Queensland chief Paul Simshauser is now a whisker away from earning $1m a year, with his pay packet — including superannuation — increasing from $921,000 in 2021/22 to $999,0000 in 2022/23.

Cross River Rail chief executive Graeme Newton. Picture Lachie Millard

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Liam Kidston

Cross River Rail boss Graeme Newton received the largest pay rise of any government paid executive, with the project’s annual report revealing his total salary increase from $645,000 in 2021/22 to $889,000 in the recent financial year.

“(Mr Newton’s) total remuneration consisting of $616,395 salary and $78,590 superannuation was informed by independent market review with application from September 2021 as per contract entitlements,” the report stated.

“Additionally, an arrears one-off payment of $120,000 under prior contract entitlements was made as informed by independent market reviews.”

The highest paid female executive is Queensland Investment Corporation’s chief Kylie Rampa at $873,574 followed by Queensland Rail’s Kat Stapleton at $848,000.

Queensland Investment Corporation Kylie Rampa. Britta Campion / The Australian

Kat Stapleton CEO Queensland Rail. Photo Steve Pohlner

A total of 65 executives or directors-general are paid more than Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, whose annual salary is $427,561.

Those executives include the heads of large hospital and health services like Townsville, Metro South, Metro North, Sunshine Coast, Torres and Cape, and the Gold Coast.

Another 26 executives earn less than a year than Ms Palaszczuk, with Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games president Andrew Liveris taking home the least at $239,000 for the 2022/23 financial year.