Million dollar club: Bureaucrats out-earning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Bureaucrats leading Australia’s top public sector agencies are raking in almost a million dollars each in just their base salaries.

Bosses at Australia’s major public service departments will all earn more than $900,000 in 2024 thanks to the latest round of pay rises — taking home hundreds of thousands more than the Prime Minister.

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Glyn Davis’s latest pay rise will see him take home $977,000 in line with level one of the Remuneration Tribunal pay bands.

Level two is set aside for the secretary of the treasury department, Steven Kennedy, who will take home $952,770.

The secretaries of the departments of Attorney-General, Defence and Social Services were previously earning less than $900,000 a year but the latest increases — which are less than the rate of inflation — have carried them to almost a million dollars a year in base pay.

Professor Glyn Davis. Picture: Aaron Francis

Secretary of the Department Katherine Jones. Picture: Gary Ramage

The salaries far outpace their US counterparts with US defence secretary Lloyd J. Austin III reportedly earning USD $235,600 — amounting to $345,700 Australian dollars.

Public servants also get 15 per cent super and many politicians get additional benefits on top of their base salaries.

As reported earlier in the year, Anthony Albanese’s $22,000 pay rise will bring him up to $587,000 in 2024.

The pay is set by the independent Remunerations Tribunal and not the federal government.

Former independent Senator Rex Patrick took to social media to bring attention to the exorbitant salary packages.

Mr Patrick has been a vocal critic of parliamentary and political extravagance and last week blasted a politician for blowing $20,000 on chauffeur driven cars in just three months time.

“There are some roles where the person filling the role needs to have a particular expertise like the ACCC Chair or the chair of APRA,” he said.

Secretary to the Australian Treasury Dr Steven Kennedy. Picture: Martin Ollman

Ray Griggs. Picture: Martin Ollman

“They need to have a financial background so their rates are reflective of market rates

but for the secretaries I think the number (more than $900,000) is excessive.

“People struggling through the cost of living crisis would find most of these numbers surreal or obscene.”

Mr Patrick said department secretaries were supported by thousands of staff compared to MPs who generally had about 10 staff.

“In the public sector, people rarely get fired, they are rarely held to account and that’s not the case in the private sector,” he said.

“In the private sector CEOs are paid to earn money, to make profit. In the public sector people are paid to spend money and it’s not their money, it’s a much easier task and many of them don’t do it very well.

“If you look at the comparison between 2023, and 2024, the rise is a 4 per cent rise which is less than inflation, it’s the starting price that’s the problem, not the increase.”

A spokesman for Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher sid: “Salaries of senior executives in the Australian Public Service and MPs are set by the Independent Remuneration Tribunal.”