Premier Chris Minns attempts to cut NSW public sector funding, but 166 bureaucrats earn more than him
Chris Minns is battling to cut spending on bureaucrats as analysis of annual reports reveals 166 people in the public service earn more than the Premier. Read who earns the most.
NSW
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The boss of state-owned workers compensation insurer is the highest paid person in the NSW bureaucracy, and among 166 fat cats earning more than the Premier.
Analysis of annual reports by The Daily Telegraph has revealed the highest earners among the public service, with Transport for NSW containing more fat cats than any other agency.
At TfNSW, 17 people are earning more than the Premier’s $416,440 – including Transport Minister Jo Haylen’s hand-picked Secretary Josh Murray who is on a $588,000 salary.
The state owned insurer boasts the highest paid person among departments and state owned corporations, with icare CEO Richard Harding earned a whopping $1,053,000 in 2022-23. The scandal plagued insurer has been told to rein in the cash, with a Treasury review into icare’s spending set to report back by next month.
Sydney Water Corporation, led by Managing Director Roch Cheroux, had the next top paid position, with one person earning $817,839 last financial year. At Essential Energy, run by CEO John Clelland, three people earned on average $814,098 in 2022-23.
Independent Commission Against Corruption boss John Hatzistergos was paid $796,128 last financial year.
Transport for NSW Coordinator General Howard Collins was paid $730,261, making him the highest paid person at the Transport department.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb is on $679,050, and is one of a number of public service bosses who received a special package outside their “Band 4” salary band.
Other secretaries in the $623,000-plus club for 2022-23 include Treasury boss Michael Coutts-Trotter, Education boss Murat Dizdar, Regional NSW Secretary Rebecca Fox, Health boss Susan Pierce.
Government sources argued that the big salaries at the top end of the public service – including icare – need to be competitive with the private sector in order to attract the best talent.
In a statement, an icare spokesman said a review into remuneration at the insurer found salaries for executives “sit appropriately within the range of other public and private sector organisations”.
Icare board chair John Robertson said salaries are “are set competitively by icare’s Board and help to ensure the best talent is available to deliver the services that NSW deserves and relies on”.
Based on the average salary of top earners, the Education Department had 11 people who earned more than the Premier last year, while the Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade had 10. The Health Department also had 10 people on a higher salary than the Premier, as did the Department of Communities and Justice.
A government spokesman blamed the Coalition for high salaries in the public service.
The Minns government last year passed legislation to freeze fat cats’ pay for two years, but is under pressure to deliver on a key election pledge to cut the number of public sector senior executives by 15 per cent.
“Agencies are in the process of implementing this policy, which will the subject of transparent annual reporting,” a spokesman said.
The government plans to achieve the savings by relying on “natural attrition” of senior executive staff leaving their agencies.
Freezing senior executive staff pay and cutting numbers by 15 per cent is set to save $745 million over four years.
In the last full-year of the Coalition government, almost 380 more senior executives were added to the public service – the largest increase since at least 2018.
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