It's been revealed the man in charge of Australia's postal service earned more than $5 million last year.
It made Australia Post chief executive Ahmed Fahour the highest paid public servant in the country
But, the Prime Minister isn't happy with his salary.
In response to questions from a Senate committee, the salaries of Australia Post's top executives have been revealed.
Last year, Ahmed Fahour's base salary was $4.4 million dollars and he received a $1.2 million dollar bonus.
Five other senior executives at Australia post earned over $1.3 million dollars in the same financial year.
Australia Post Managing Director and Group CEO Ahmed Fahour (AAP) Source: AAP
It would take Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ten years to earn Ahmed Fahour's salary and he says it's too much.
“I've spoken to the chairman today, I think that salary, that remuneration is too high it's a matter for the board, i think it is too high i know it's a big job, it's a big company,” said the PM.
Among Australia's top public servants, Ahmed Fahour is now the best paid.
He earned more than National Broadband Network boss Bill Morrow - who took home about three million dollars last financial year.
And he earns more than his counterparts in the United States, Canada and Britain.
Victorian Senator James Paterson was part of the committee that revealed Mr Fahour's salary.
Source: AAP
“This is a publicly owned entity. It's just a basic matter of accountability and transparency that the public should know what they are effectively paying this person that owns that company but they are particularly entitled to question if they feel the service they receive from Australia Post isn't up to scratch.”
But Senator Paterson says apart from making his salary public, the government can't force Ahmed Fahour to reduce it.
“Our only power over AusPost is we appoint the board and then it's up to the baord to make decisions on behalf of Auspost. The government can't force AusPost to change Mr Fahour's salary,” he said.
In a statement, Australia Post says 'Mr Fahour's total remuneration package takes into account the size and complexity of the organisation, which has an annual turnover of more than $6 billion dollars'.
It says it 'has paid more than six-point-three billion dollars in dividends and taxes to the Federal Government' and 'does not receive any taxpayer funding.'
Australia Post had argued not to reveal its executive salaries because it said it would damage its brand, something Senator Paterson rejects.
“I'm completely unconvinced for two reasons. One, Auspost used to reveal this information in its annual report but they stopped doing so and two, every listed company in Australia is required by law to reveal this information,” he said.
Not one politician showed support for Australia Post in Parliament with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson expressing her outrage.
“I am absolutely disgusted and last I heard he was on four-point-eigh million. I am going to find out who has approved this, why it has been approved. Because no Australian would support this, no one,” said Ms Hanson.
And Labor Senator Doug Cameron says for a company that sought nearly two thousand voluntary redundancies in 2015, the salary is unacceptable.
"I think executives in this country are overpaid. They try to push Bangladesh wage rates and conditions for their workers but Wall Street paying conditions for the executives.”
