Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour. Credit:Michael Clayton-Jones "The Australia Post board is independent, it makes its own commercial decisions so this is not a decision of the government," he said. "As the Prime Minister and a taxpayer, I've spoken to the chairman today. I think that salary, that remuneration, is too high. "I know it's a big job, it's a big company. I know the company has been able to improve its position but, in my view, and I say this as someone who spent most of his life in the business world before I came into politics, I think that is a very big salary for that job. "I'm entitled to my opinion, just like every other Australian is, and I think many would agree with me."

Illustration: Ron Tandberg An Australia Post spokesman said Mr Fahour's pay "takes into account the size and complexity of the organisation, which has an annual turnover of more than $6 billion". "Mr Fahour's remuneration in financial year 2016 included a performance-based short-term bonus in line with Australia Post returning to profit. The previous year he did not receive a bonus. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he believes Mr Fahour's salary is too high. Credit:Andrew Meares "Total executive remuneration has not increased since 2014 when the executive last received their full eligible performance bonus."

The company published detailed information about executive salaries up until its 2014-15 annual report. The last time Mr Fahour's salary was listed was in the 2013-14 annual report, when he received a salary of $1.7 million and a bonus of $2.6 million. In 2016, Australia Post refused to reveal how much it paid Mr Fahour, blocking a freedom of information request from Fairfax Media. A request for his 2015-16 salary was refused because it related to "the commercial activities of the corporation" and "would involve the unreasonable disclosure of personal information". A further $2 million he was due in net superannuation payments was "mutually agreed" to be turned into a pre-tax $2.8 million donation to the Islamic Museum of Australia, founded by his brother Moustafa Fahour. The boss of Britain's Royal Mail Service earns £1.5 million ($2.4 million), compared with about $500,000 for the Canada Post chief executive and $545,000 for the US Postmaster General.

Labor senator Doug Cameron said Australian companies were pushing "Bangladesh" wage rates and conditions for workers, but Wall Street pay and conditions for executives. "I just can't for the life of me understand why any public servant would need to be paid over $5 million," he said. "I have appeared in estimates with Australia Post and I can't see over $5 million worth of value out of any individual." Liberal James Paterson, chairman of the committee responsible for releasing the information this week, said it was clearly in the public interest. "A lot of other organisations, the NBN, for example, publishes this information and listed companies in Australia are required by law to publish it, so I don't see why a publicly owned entity like Australia Post should have less disclosure obligations than a private company," he told the ABC.

"It is an extremely generous salary package and it makes him the highest paid public servant effectively in Australia, even more than the NBN CEO, who received about $3.6 million last financial year." One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said the revelation was disgusting and pledged to take action. "No Australians would support this. No one," she said. Follow us on Facebook Follow Tom McIlroy on Facebook