Climate Secretary's $925,011 Salary Draws Scrutiny

Mike Kaiser's pay is 18 per cent higher than his predecessor's, prompting Coalition calls for an explanation.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Environmental

Climate Secretary's $925,011 Salary Draws Scrutiny

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Department of Climate Change and Energy Secretary Mike Kaiser earns $925,011 per year, 18 per cent more than predecessor David Fredericks, who received $783,795. Coalition shadow energy minister Dan Tehan has called on Energy Minister Chris Bowen to explain the salary.

Why it matters

The salary figure places a senior climate policy official's pay well above the Prime Minister's annual salary of $622,000, raising questions about how public sector remuneration is set. Education Minister Jason Clare has said politicians do not set public sector salaries, as the remuneration tribunal determines them.

The figures are annual salaries for the department secretary role, compared against the predecessor's pay and the Prime Minister's salary. The source does not state how the 18 per cent gap was set or whether the role's duties changed.

The players

Mike Kaiser

Mike Kaiser is the Secretary of the Department of Climate Change and Energy, a senior public servant overseeing the department's climate and energy policy work.

Dan Tehan

Dan Tehan is a Coalition politician who serves as shadow energy minister and is a long-serving member of the Australian House of Representatives.

Chris Bowen

Chris Bowen is Australia's Energy Minister and a senior Labor frontbencher responsible for the government's energy policy.

The details

Coalition shadow energy minister Dan Tehan has pressed Energy Minister Chris Bowen to explain the pay level. The same reporting noted that the department is spending $32,000 on a coffee cart at the Australian pavilion ahead of the next United Nations climate conference, COP, in Turkey.

Article on the salary revelations and Coalition criticism published 7 November 2026.
Australia's COP preparations in Turkey are upcoming, with no date specified in the source.
The mid-year economic and fiscal outlook is upcoming, with no date specified in the source.

Big Picture

Public sector salaries in Australia are set by the remuneration tribunal rather than by ministers, a point Education Minister Jason Clare raised when responding to the criticism. The Kaiser and Fredericks figures are a concrete case of how that framework produces pay differences between successive holders of the same office.

Salary levels for senior public servants are set through the remuneration tribunal, so changes to that framework affect what taxpayers pay for these roles. Readers following federal spending decisions may find the tribunal's determinations a useful reference point.

The takeaway

Public salary debates often turn on how remuneration bodies set pay rather than on individual ministers, so checking the tribunal's published determinations gives a clearer picture of why figures differ between office holders.