Australia's top 100 CEOs get 16% pay rise; Husic warns Labor on Gaza policy
Chief executives of Australia's 100 largest companies earned a median $4.8 million in realised pay in 2025, up 16% from 2024, according to a new report. Meanwhile, former minister Ed Husic warned the Labor party it risks losing voter support by stifling debate on Palestinian rights, drawing parallels with the US Democrats.
CEO Pay Soars to Record Levels
A new analysis by the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) shows that the median realised pay for CEOs of Australia's 100 biggest ASX-listed companies reached $4.8 million in the 2025 financial year, a 16% increase from 2024. This is the highest median recorded in 12 years. Two Australia-based CEOs – Macquarie's Shemara Wikramanayake and Goodman's Greg Goodman – earned over $30 million in realised pay, compared with none in 2024.
The highest-paid CEO was Life360 founder Chris Hulls, who took home $47.7 million – about 437 times the average Australian full-time worker's earnings. Other top earners included ResMed's Mick Farrell ($35.1 million) and News Corp's Robert Thomson ($33.5 million). ACSI noted that fixed pay for top 100 CEOs rose only 4% to a median of $1.83 million, still below 2012 levels, while bonuses and vested shares drove the overall increase. The gap between CEO and worker pay remained at 55 times average weekly earnings.
Union Push to Bring ATO Call Centres In-House
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has lodged submissions supporting a Fair Work Commission case arguing that outsourced call centre workers at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) should receive the same pay and conditions as in-house staff. The union claims outsourced workers answer the same calls using the same systems but are paid up to 40% less. CPSU national secretary Melissa Donnelly called on the Albanese government to direct the ATO to bring the work back into the public service.
Husic's Warning on Gaza Policy
Ed Husic, a former cabinet minister and the most outspoken Labor member on the Gaza war, warned that the party risks losing support like the US Democrats if it responds to Palestinian rights questions with "fear and loathing." Speaking at a Labor Friends of Palestine event on the sidelines of the NSW Labor conference, Husic said the party must allow "legitimate debate" on Palestinian rights in Gaza and the West Bank. He also proposed a dedicated federal police team to monitor dual Australian-Israeli citizens who travel to the Middle East to fight for the Israel Defense Forces. Husic's comments come ahead of Labor's national conference in July, where Palestinian rights are expected to be debated, though party sources say the discussion will likely be tightly controlled.
