End the secrecy: AFL told to declare chief executive Andrew Dillon’s pay to improve transparency

Incoming AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has been challenged to reveal his salary after almost a decade of secrecy. Have your say.

Exclusive: Incoming AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has been challenged to reveal his salary after almost a decade of secrecy.

The chief executive’s salary has not been included in the AFL’s annual report since Richard Goyder took over as AFL chair in 2017.

This masthead has confirmed McLachlan was being paid more than $4m a year, with the total of his hidden salary worth more than $25 million.

The league was currently revising figures to be included in its annual report due out in March next year but has “no plans” to go public with Dillon’s pay.

Former chief executive Andrew Demetriou always disclosed his pay packet, which was $3.8 million in his final year in 2013, including bonuses.

Andrew Dillon at the AFL draft this week. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Professor Ian Ramsay, of the University of Melbourne Law School, said the AFL chief executive’s pay should be disclosed.

“It is important that there be transparency regarding how the most important executive position in one of the country’s most important sports is remunerated,” Prof Ramsay said.

“This transparency allows stakeholders in the AFL to understand how the CEO is remunerated.”

Prof Ramsay is on the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s Consultative Panel and some of his publications on corporate law have been referred to in the High Court.

He added: “It also allows stakeholders to form a view on whether this remuneration is related to performance of the AFL or whether it is unrelated to performance of the AFL; and this transparency also reinforces accountability – an accountable organisation is one that favours transparency on important governance matters such as CEO remuneration.”

Gillon McLachlan was paid almost eight times as much as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. They are pictured at the AFL grand final parade in September. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mr Goyder started on the AFL Commission in 2011, which at the time disclosed chief executive Andrew Demetriou’s pay.

Demetriou said in June that it would be “helpful” if the chief executive’s salary was disclosed.

“You’d have to ask the chairman (Richard Goyder) and the CEO why they chose not to,” he said at the time.

This masthead sent a list of questions to the AFL last week.

The league was asked whether Mr Goyder had been behind the decision to not disclose McLachlan’s pay.

Mr Goyder has been in the headlines this year because of his role as the chair of Qantas.

He fronted a Senate inquiry in September where he defended his management record at the airline and spoke more broadly about his career.

“I would also argue that my history in business has been one of high ethics,” Mr Goyder said.

Richard Goyder, left, with Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson and the airline’s General Counsel Andrew Finch at a Senate inquiry in Parliament House. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Goyder is also chair of Woodside Energy and previously ran Wesfarmers, which owns the Coles supermarket chain and Bunnings.

McLachlan’s $4m salary was almost eight times higher than Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who earns $587,000 a year for running the country.

However, the AFL boss’ pay is in the same ballpark as Stephen Rue, who runs the Federal Government owned NBN Co and is paid $3m a year.

AFL spokesman Jay Allen said: “The AFL had no plans to change the current reporting format”.

The AFL currently makes the total executive pool of salary public rather than individual payments.

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