Hunter Chief In Rich Pickings List
Newcastle Herald
Thursday November 15, 2007
A LOT has changed since Centennial Coal chief Robert Cameron began his career more than 30 years ago as a young mining engineer in Hunter pits.
Mr Cameron was named in yesterday's Australian Financial Review list of the top 170 executive salaries in the country, along with a handful of other executives whose companies have significant links with the Hunter Region.According to the report, compiled from information declared to the Australian Stock Exchange in annual reports, Mr Cameron had a base salary of $988,784 and a total remuneration package of $1.275 million last financial year.The Maitland man established Centennial Coal after leaving Coal & Allied in 1989 and buying a small mine near Gunnedah.Mr Cameron has more than 5.3 million shares in the company, which recently sold its Anvil Hill and Tahmoor assets to rival miner Xstrata for $1.6 billion.Waratah-based engineering company Bradken's chief executive Brian Hodges received a base salary of $599,706 with a total remuneration package of $2.7 million last year.United Group ( formerly Goninan) chief executive Richard Leupen had a base salary of $1.5 million and total remuneration package of $4.28 million.OneSteel's Geoff Plummer had a base salary of $1.2 million and total remuneration package of $3.5 million, and Orica's Graeme Liebelt had a base salary of $1.3 million and a total remuneration package of $2.8 million.Australia's top executive salary belonged to News Corp's boss Rupert Murdoch, on a base salary of $8.1 million and total remuneration package of $37.1 million.The review revealed the total package of CEOs averaged $2.56 million, up from $1.99 million last year.The ACTU said the new figures confirmed the gap between high income earners and average workers was getting bigger under the Howard Government.
© 2007 Newcastle Herald