Domino's Pizza boss Don Meij has become the highest paid CEO in Australia, taking home $36.8 million last year.
A study released on Tuesday by the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) showed Mr Meij beat out Peter and Steven Lowy of Westfield Corp (at $25.9 million) and Nicholas Moore of Macquarie Group (at $25.1 million).
The study found CEOs at the nation's 100 biggest companies took home an average $6.2 million of "realised pay" in 2017 - putting CEO pay packets at record levels.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull took aim at the findings on 3AW radio.
"That seems a hell of a lot - they'd have to be very productive," Mr Turnbull said.
"As someone who most of his life has worked in businesses that I've only owned or been a partner in, I find the amount, the pay rates for people working for a lot of big public-listed companies extraordinarily high."
A spokesperson for Domino's Pizza told SBS News "it is important to clarify that the amount quoted in the report as remuneration for Mr Don Meij predominantly reflects the increase in the value of 600,000 share options granted in 2013 following shareholder approval and exercised by him in September 2016".
Source: SBS News
"These were linked to the achievement of significant long-term targets for the business over a period of three years," he said.
'Tone-deaf'
ACSI CEO Louise Davidson said the study also showed that all but six of the top 80 CEOs eligible for a bonus received one.
"At a time when public trust in business is at a low ebb and wages growth is weak, board decisions to pay large bonuses just for hitting budget targets rather than exceptional performance, are especially tone-deaf," she said.
"This may be a sign that boards have lost sight of the link between a company's social licence and the expectations of communities and investors."
Source: SBS News
Polling from the Australia Institute earlier this month found 80 per cent of people believe the nation's CEOs are paid too much.
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