Andrew Leigh rebukes CEOs over JobKeeper ‘bonuses’

Andrew Leigh delivered a stinging attack on companies that have been recipients of JobKeeper payments and paid their executives huge bonuses.

IDP Education received $4m in JobKeeper and gave chief Andrew Barkla a $600,000 bonus. Picture: Aaron Francis

Opposition frontbencher Andrew Leigh last night delivered a stinging attack on companies that have been recipients of JobKeeper payments and paid their executives huge bonuses.

“A scheme designed to reduce inequality is being misused by a small number of firms who are channelling it to executive bonuses,” he said in a speech to parliament.

Mr Leigh listed a number of examples including Accent Group, which received $13m in JobKeeper payments then gave its chief executive Daniel Agostinelli a $1.2m bonus.

IDP Education received $4m in JobKeeper and gave chief Andrew Barkla a $600,000 bonus. Last year Barkla ranked as one of the highest paid chief executives taking home $37m.

Star Casino received $64m in JobKeeper and its chief Matt Bekier received an equity bonus worth $800,000.

SeaLink gave chief executive Clinton Feuerherdt a $500,000 bonus after receiving $8m in JobKeeper.

Mr Leigh also cited companies that used JobKeeper to boost dividend payments.

He cited furniture retailer Nick Scali which received $4m in payments from the New Zealand and Australian governments and increased its dividend to the Scali family by $2m.

1300 Smiles got $2m in JobKeeper and paid $3m to shareholders. Its chief Daryl Holmes owns two-thirds of the company so will collect nearly $2m or about the same as the JobKeeper payments.

Mr Leigh quoted Ownership Matters’ Dean Paatsch saying, “I don’t think it was ever the intention of the government to subsidise executive salaries.

“If you’re getting taxpayer subsidies the CEO shouldn’t be getting a bonus.”