State Government accuses of gender pay equality fail over Katarina Carroll wage

The state government has been slammed by equality campaigners after hiring Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll for significantly less than her male predecessor.

The Palaszczuk Government has been accused of a “disgusting” gender pay equality fail after hiring Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll for significantly less than her male predecessor.

Economists and equality campaigners have slammed the pay discrepancy, which saw Ms Carroll appointed on $517,000 in July 2019, following the retirement of Ian Stewart, who was earning $619,000 at the time.

In Mr Stewart’s first full financial year in the top job, 2013-14, he took home $548,000 – $31,000 more than Ms Carroll took home in 2019-20, according to Queensland Police Service annual reports.

The wage gap is even greater in real terms, at $103,000.

AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said the equivalent of Mr Stewart’s starting salary of $548,000 would be $620,000 in 2019, factoring in inflation and the wage price index.

“You’d need $620,000 to maintain the same purchasing power,” Mr Oliver said.

“This looks to me like a classic case of a gender pay gap,” he said.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Equality expert Bianca Hartge-Hazelman said it was “not a good look for the government” to start a woman on less than a man.

“It is not uncommon to see a $100,000 difference between male and female executive salaries, which is really disgusting,” she said.

Ms Hartge-Hazelman, CEO of economic equality platform Financy, said an alarming trend was emerging of putting women in senior jobs “as an excuse to pay them less”.

“It might look good for the organisation to have more women in top roles but not if their salaries are less than what was previously paid.”

According to the 2020-21 QPS annual report tabled in parliament last week, Ms Carroll’s salary increased to $558,000 in her second year in the job.

This is still well short of Mr Stewart’s final wage, which economically adjusted to 2020-21 figures would be $641,000.

Ms Carroll said her salary was determined by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, and the Police Minister.

“I can’t complain,” she said.

“We all start on a set rate and every year our performance is assessed by the DPC and the minister.

“My salary has been increasing and in the next financial year you’ll see a higher figure than now.

“They look at what I do, and they have taken Covid into consideration, and (asset manager firm) Mercer also assesses my job.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

Ms Carroll, who oversees 17,200 staff, said she was not the sort of person to “sit back and accept less” than a man.

“I would hate to think one of my police women was to be paid less than a man for doing the same job; that would be completely unacceptable to me,” she said.

She said there was a “massive” gender pay gap in the private sector but women in the public service were in “quite an enviable situation” because there was no gap.

In other key states, police commissioner salaries are determined by independent remuneration tribunals.

Ms Carroll earns less than her NSW counterpart Michael Fuller, who is on $650,000, but more than her Victorian peer Shane Patton, who takes home around $524,000, according to latest figures.

A Queensland government spokesman said the terms of the police commissioner’s employment were agreed by the Police Minister and chair of the Crime and Corruption Commission, approved by the Governor in Council, and accepted by the commissioner.

“The Queensland Government is strongly committed to gender equity in the workplace,” he said.

The spokesman said Ms Carroll was currently earning more than her predecessor but wouldn’t disclose the figure, saying it would be published in next year’s financial report.

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said when it came to police salaries, all the police he represented were paid according to the role they performed and their gender was irrelevant.

“It’s no secret my view is that the previous police commissioner’s salary was far in excess of what he deserved and that the current commissioner should receive the exact same percentage wage increases as all other police.”

Ian Stewart was appointed in November 2012. His salary package in the eight months until June 30, 2013, was $395,000.

Former police commissioner Ian Stewart earned more than $600,000 in his last year in the job. Picture: Jack Tran

Viewing the QPS annual report, leading independent economist Saul Eslake said had Mr Stewart worked the full financial year his remuneration would have been $592,500.

Mr Eslake said there were many reasons men pulled in bigger salaries than women.

“Men are typically more motivated by money, and better at negotiating because historically they’ve had more opportunities,” he said.

Now in her third year in the top job, Katarina Carroll has faced unprecedented challenges.

Under her leadership and in addition to usual police work, the QPS has developed and implemented a border pass system and supported Queensland Health’s contact tracing activities and investigations.

Police resources have also been diverted to border patrols at airports, state roads and vehicle checkpoints, and to monitor quarantine compliance and social distancing.

In the 2020-21 annual report, Ms Carroll said the QPS had changed “how we deliver frontline policing services to reduce the potential transmission of Covid-19”.

“I am continually amazed by the tremendous dedication of all members as the service continues to meet the significant and increasing demands placed on our organisation,” she said.

Ms Carroll highlighted other achievements, including the establishment of a youth justice taskforce, a dedicated domestic, family violence and vulnerable persons command, and a first nations and multicultural affairs unit.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has publicly championed action to address the gender pay gap, listing it as a top priority in an April letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison proposing the National Women’s Summit.

“I believe our nation is at a point in time where real and enduring action must be taken to address the economic inequality endured by Australian women for far too long,’’ the Premier wrote.

In the same month the Premier said she was “proud to lead a government that supports equality and justice for women” while release report cards tracking Queensland’s performance on gender equality.

Originally published as State Government accuses of gender pay equality fail over Katarina Carroll wage