Best paid bosses: Cairns leaders on the fattest pay packets
They’re the leaders at the top of their game and at the helm of the region’s biggest organisations. Meet the Far North wealthiest bosses and how much they earn.
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THEY’RE the leaders at the top of their game, the bosses at the helm of the region’s biggest organisations and accordingly the men and women who command the fattest pay packets in the business.
Ranging across all sectors from health to education, tourism and shipping, the following bosses are just 10 names – but between them, these key executives pulled a combined income of more than $4m in 2021.
The following is a breakdown of the cash received by the region’s top earners based on the latest remuneration information contained within publicly available annual reports.
NICK KLOMP
Nick Klomp is the Vice-Chancellor and President of Central Queensland University and is another richly rewarded education administrator.
Based in Rockhampton, the university also has campuses in Cairns, Townsville, Adelaide, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
The university’s 2020 annual report shows its highest paid executive, almost certainly Professor Klomp, was paid in a band from $765,000 to $779,999.
With international income hit by Covid-19, no performance payment was paid in 2020.
The university reported revenues of $450.3m, total assets of $1.07bn and full-time equivalent staff of 1667.
CHRIS BOLAND
As Ports North chief executive officer Chris Boland is responsible for nine ports across the Far North which has planning control over 228ha of freehold and 635ha of leasehold strategic port land.
During the 20/21 financial year, Mr Boland took home a total remuneration package worth $393,613.
Mr Boland must have copped a pay cut last year after records reveal he earnt $428,674 in the previous year.
He is the highest paid member of the executive team.
Commercial general manager Kevin Malone took home $262,490 in 2021, while general manager of corporate services Kerry Egerton pocketed $270,433 and finance general manager Chris Tabe earnt $208,458 in the same year.
Ports North in 2021 held property and equipment to the value of $195,547,000 and recorded revenue of $43,967,000.
Russell Beer as chairman was the best paid board member after making $58,587 in 2021.
MICA MARTIN
In March last year Cairns Regional councillors voted to appoint Mica Martin as the organisation’s new chief executive officer after the shock exit of outgoing chief John Andrejic.
The accomplished executive was employed with Brisbane City Council for almost 15 years, climbing through the ranks to the position of field services executive manager, before cutting ties in October last year.
Charged with shaping the organisation’s culture, community engagement and managing infrastructure and service delivery, Ms Martin sits at the helm of an organisation with a $312m budget and 1250 staff.
She takes home a generous salary of $300,000-$400,000 per annum.
CRAIG CRAWFORD
The only Far North-based MP to hold a ministerial position within the Queensland parliament Craig Crawford was elected as the member for Barron River in 2015.
Mr Crawford walked into a hefty pay packet after being elected and being named as Fire and Emergency Services Minister.
In May 2020 the Barron River MP shifted portfolios to become Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships.
As an MP he takes home a base salary of $159,122 per year plus remuneration under a band three office holder pay rate of $174,604.
Mr Crawford pockets a total salary of $333,726 each year.
DON MACKIE
Responsible for clinical governance, professional leadership and direction of medical services within the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, the region’s top doctor Don Mackie takes home a pay packet to match.
As the executive director of medical services since midway through 2019, he provides expert advice on a wide range of professional and policy issues.
Dr Mackie took home a generous annual pay packet worth $529,000 in 2021 according to the service’s annual report.
The not-for-profit statutory body had a total equity of $852,632,000 at the end of the 2020/21 financial year.
TINA CHINERY
Hinterland Hospital and Health Service chief executive, Tina Chinery, according to the latest annual report earns the second highest salary behind the organisation’s executive director of medical services Dr Don Mackie.
Responsible to the board for the efficient overall operational management of CHHHS and the achievement of its strategic objectives, Ms Chinery’s role commands a hefty annual pay packet of $337,000.
Chief finance officer Stephen Thacker takes home $272,000 each year and board member earnings start at $47,000 increasing to chair Clive Skarott’s $95,000 payday in 2021.
One of the region’s largest employers CHHHS employs 5,372 full time equivalent staff as of June 30 2021.
CURTIS PITT
Mulgrave MP and Speaker of the Queensland parliament Curtis Pitt may not be the highest earning Far North elected leader, but his annual salary is nothing to be sneezed at.
In August 2020 the Queensland independent Remuneration Tribunal Act reviewed parliamentary entitlements to make sure all elected members were appropriately compensated for the role they fulfil.
A member who holds an office is entitled to one additional salary on top of their annual base salary.
Additional salary rates for various officeholders are grouped into bands with reference to the additional salary rate of the Premier.
Mr Pitt’s base salary is $159,122 per year and as Speaker the Mulgrave MP falls under the band five of the Act — meaning an additional salary of $144,500 is paid for a total remuneration package of $303,622.
Mr Pitt’s salary is 60 per cent of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s.
CHRIS MORRIS
While Chris Morris might not be the highest paid boss in the Far North, he is certainly one of the wealthiest, and with the magnitude of his operations here, deserves to top this list.
He is the founder of ASX-listed top 50 global company Computershare which has a market valuation of almost $12bn.
But it is in his hospitality assets where he holds sway in the Far North.
Apart from owning and operating hotels and breweries around Australia and in the UK, the Morris Group owns FNQ assets Orpheus Island Lodge, the Daintree Ecolodge, the Mount Mulligan Lodge, Daintree Village Hotel, Nautilus Aviation helicopters and superyacht the Flying Fish.
He also owns the The Ville Resort-Casino in Townsville.
In 2021 Mr Morris was assessed as having an estimated wealth of $886m.
AMANDA COPPING
Whoever takes on the poisoned chalice vacated by the shock exit of Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility acting chief executive Amanda Copping they can expect an annual pay packet in the vicinity of half a million dollars.
Ms Copping’s exit takes the tally of top bureaucrats to leave at three, in less than three years.
According to the 2020/21 NAIF annual report Ms Copping took home a total remuneration package of $452,258 as NAIF’s chief investment officer.
During the 2020/21 financial year prior to his departure from the organisation in November last year Chris Wade as CEO earned a base salary of $416,484.
Add in other benefits, superannuation contributions and long service leave his total renumeration was worth $498,750.
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