Australia’s 50 highest paid jobs revealed in Tax Office data
ORDINARY Australians are struggling to make ends meet as wage growth stagnates and the cost of living soars but the one per cent are living large.
And while the true rich listers have their earnings tied up in complex company structures, the tax returns of the nation’s top salary earners reveal that they are living very comfortably indeed.
With high rates of underemployment, many ordinary workers would need to add an extra zero to their pay packet to match these earnings.
And while the true rich listers have their earnings tied up in complex company structures, the tax returns of the nation’s top salary earners reveal that they are living very comfortably indeed.
With high rates of underemployment, many ordinary workers would need to add an extra zero to their pay packet to match these earnings.
The latest Tax Office data reveals that male neurosurgeons have the best-paid job in the country, taking home a whopping $577,674 a year.
For women, it’s judges who lead the pack with $355,844, confirming the age-old cliche that studying law or medicine is the ticket to a life of comfort.
The gender pay gap is writ large in the results, with female neurosurgeons taking home just 56 per cent of their male counterparts’ salary, despite being the second-highest-paid professional women.
Medical specialists dominate the list of the 50 highest paid men’s jobs, with investment bankers, MPs, chief executives, dentists, company secretaries and mining engineers also making the list.
The worst-paid jobs involved manual labour and traineeships, many of them in industries that tend to employ part-time workers including fruit pickers, farm overseers, leaflet or newspaper deliverers, crossing supervisors, fast food cooks, dishwashers and kitchen hands.
Men and women in these positions reported earnings of a measly $13,307 to $20,575 a year.
AUSTRALIA’S 50 BEST-PAID JOBS
Men
Neurosurgeon $577,674
Ophthalmologist $552,947
Cardiologist $453,253
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon $448,530
Gynaecologist; Obstetrician $446,507
Otorhinolaryngologist $445,939
Orthopedic surgeon $439,629
Urologist $433,792
Vascular surgeon $417,524
Gastroenterologist $415,192
Diagnostic and interventional radiologist $386,003
Dermatologist $383,880
Judge — law $381,323
Anaesthetist $370,492
Cardiothoracic surgeon $358,043
Surgeon — general $357,996
Specialist physicians — other $344,860
Radiation oncologist $336,994
Medical oncologist $322,178
Securities and finance dealer $320,452
Thoracic medicine specialist $315,444
Specialist physician — general medicine $315,114
Intensive care specialist $308,033
Renal medicine specialist $298,681
Neurologist $298,543
Financial investment manager $288,790
Investment broker $286,530
Paediatric surgeon $282,508
Clinical haematologist $271,738
Futures trader $264,830
Endocrinologist $258,972
Cricketer $257,527
Rheumatologist $256,933
Dental specialist $253,442
Magistrate $246,737
Equities analyst; Investment dealer $245,826
Paediatrician $239,405
Stock exchange dealer; Stockbroker $238,192
Psychiatrist $234,557
Emergency medicine specialist $232,595
Member of Parliament $232,093
Pathologist $224,378
Company secretary — corporate governance $218,432
State governor $212,652
Actuary $196,144
Sports physician $187,468
Petroleum engineer $185,808
Chief executive officer; Executive director; Managing director; Public servant — secretary or
deputy secretary $181,849
Mining production manager $179,439
Women
Judge — law $355,844
Neurosurgeon $323,682
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon $281,608
Futures trader $281,600
Vascular surgeon $271,529
Gynaecologist; Obstetrician $264,628
Gastroenterologist $260,925
Magistrate $260,161
Anaesthetist $243,582
Ophthalmologist $217,242
Cardiologist $215,920
Urologist $213,094
Surgeon — general $210,796
Medical oncologist $208,612
Specialist physicians — other $207,599
Specialist physician — general medicine $207,225
Otorhinolaryngologist $200,136
Dermatologist $195,030
Diagnostic and interventional radiologist $180,695
Cardiothoracic surgeon $175,500
Paediatric surgeon $175,314
Endocrinologist $174,542
Member of Parliament $173,331
Rheumatologist $169,409
Intensive care specialist $169,369
Emergency medicine specialist $165,786
Orthopedic surgeon $159,479
Neurologist $155,217
Renal medicine specialist $155,133
Psychiatrist $152,437
Clinical haematologist $147,970
Paediatrician $147,347
Securities and finance dealer $145,208
Dental specialist $140,505
Actuary $136,819
Radiation oncologist $135,678
Financial investment manager $134,481
Petroleum engineer $133,315
Mining production manager $133,061
General medical practitioner $129,834
Thoracic medicine specialist $127,645
Stockbroker $124,433
Paving plant operator $123,281
Mining engineer $119,564
Tribunal member $119,219
Occupational medicine specialist; Public health physician; Sports physician $118,310
Geophysicist $117,575
General medical practitioner $184,639
Chief executive officer; Executive director; Managing director; Public servant — secretary or
deputy secretary $116,855
Metallurgist $110,359
Engineering manager $116,732
Sources：news.com.au
