Senator Jacqui Lambie wants to cap the salaries of top federal bureaucrats and university vice-chancellors.

The senator is expected to introduce legislation next week, arguing that pay levels are excessive.  

“It is a disgrace that many top bureaucrats rake in more pay than the prime minister,” the Tasmanian senator said. 

“They’re shamelessly feathering their own nest while most people endure a cost-of-living crisis.”  

Senator Lambie has released exposure drafts of two bills proposing a salary cap of $430,000 for Commonwealth departmental secretaries and university vice-chancellors - placing them below the federal treasurer’s pay. 

At present, the highest-paid public servant, Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Glyn Davis, receives $1,086,842 annually. 

Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary Jan Adams follows closely with $1,025,301. The average salary across all department secretaries is $909,901.  

Lambie said current pay levels at the top of the public service and academia “don’t pass the pub test”.

She specifically highlighted the salary of a former senior bureaucrat who was involved in the unlawful ‘Robodebt’ recovery scheme.  

“I’m still fuming that someone like Kathryn Campbell got a nearly million-dollar gig after she presided over robodebt,” she said.

Setting an appropriate cap on secretaries’ pay is complex, as current remuneration levels are based on private sector comparisons rather than the broader public sector framework. 

While secretaries’ roles share some managerial aspects with corporate executives, their responsibilities exist in a vastly different context.  

Executive pay in Australia’s public sector remains among the highest globally compared to counterparts in the UK, US, and New Zealand.

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