Australia's highest-paid jobs revealed, CEOs miss top five
Surgeons are earning more than $500,000 a year, Grill'd is being sued over a donation campaign, and shoppers are being warned about EOFY sales traps. Here are five stories you may have missed this week.
Australia's top earners aren't CEOs
New ATO data reveals the jobs earning more than $500,000 a year
Surgeons have been crowned Australia's top income earners, with an average taxable income of $519,998 in 2023/24 according to newly released figures from the Tax Office.
Anaesthetists took second place with average earnings of $475,455, followed by internal medicine specialists with income averaging $362,120.
Only financial dealers broke the dominance of medical professionals, taking out fourth place with average taxable income of $347,375.
Finance, legal and mining jobs also rank highly, each with average incomes in excess of $200,000.
By comparison, Aussie workers pocketed average taxable income of a more modest $78,127 in 2023-24.
Grill'd sued over burger donation claims
Only about 4% of Tuesday burgers qualified for a donation
Popular burger chain Grill'd is being sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over alleged false claims about eco-friendly donations.
Grill'd ran a promotional campaign called Tree Day Tuesday for several years between January 2021 and April 2024.
The idea was that Grill'd would donate $1 from every burger purchased on a Tuesday towards the planting of trees.
However, some very fine print applied.
Burger purchases needed to meet seven conditions to qualify for a donation. Among them, buyers had to be a member of Grill'd's Relish loyalty program, and the purchase needed to be dine-in only.
As a result, the ACCC alleges that of more than 5 million burgers purchased on a Tuesday, only around 4% qualified for a donation.
ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb alleges the promotion was a form of greenwashing, with Grill'd's advertising overstating the circumstances in which donations would be made.
The news follows years of legal action and public backlash after staff were allegedly underpaid thanks to traineeship loopholes.
A new wage agreement was signed in December 2026, but a class action lawsuit is before the Federal Court.
The sneaky EOFY sales tricks to watch for
Consumer advocates warn of fake discounts and pressure tactics
Three million Australians plan to skip EOFY sales this year, while consumer advocates warn shoppers to watch for fake discounts, fake urgency and unnecessary warranties.
While under-35s and over-50s are each expected to spend around $1900 in the June sales, shoppers aged in their 30s and 40s - the 'mortgage belt' years - are likely to spend a more modest $1400.
The Australian Retail Council says 3 million Australians who scored discounts last year, plan to give the current sales a miss altogether.
Meanwhile, consumer group CHOICE is cautioning consumers to think before they click this sale season.
CHOICE's Mark Serrels says, "It's important to know the tricks and traps to avoid getting ripped off."
CHOICE recommends watching for:
- Discounted duds - products that are poor performers can attract big discounts during the sales.
- Fake urgency - messaging like 'must buy, sale ends soon!' or 'only 2 left in stock' encourages panic buying. Take the time to check if you're really landing a bargain.
- Unnecessary extended warranties - these are usually nothing more than a sneaky sales tactic to get you to spend more, and may offer no more protection than you already have under Australian Consumer Law.
The passwords hackers hope you're using
'Admin', 'password' and '123456' remain top choices
The end of the financial year sees plenty of us moving money around to get our affairs in order.
And, according to ANZ Bank, that makes the run-up to June 30 a peak time for cyber criminals to strike.
Having secure passwords for online accounts can be your first line of defence.
Remarkably though, plenty of Australians stick to a short list of preferred passwords.
Nordpass says the three most common passwords are: 'admin', 'password' and '123456' - each used by tens of thousands of Aussies.
Surprisingly, the fourth most common password is 'jollyjol', used by around 25,000 accounts.
The crazy thing is, '123456' and 'admin' are also the top two passwords globally - both used by more than 21 million people.
Nordpass found the password habits of an 18-year-old are strikingly similar to those of an 80-year-old, with "12345" and "123456" still emerging as the top password choice across every age group.
Nordpass offers tech password tips:
- Use strong passwords and passphrases
- Keep all your passwords unique, and
- Switch on multi-factor authentication where available.
The super knowledge gaps costing Australians
New research reveals major gaps in super knowledge
New research by Super Consumers Australia shows Australians are paying more attention to their super, but knowledge gaps remain across generations.
As a guide, seven in 10 working Australians monitor their super balance, up from 64% in 2022. But only six in 10 read communications from their super fund.
There are also big gaps in our understanding of how super works:
- One in five don't know they can put extra money into their super
- More than one in four (28%) are unaware they can change how their super is invested after joining a fund, and
- More than one in two Australians don't realise employer super contributions are taxed at just 15%.
Despite the knowledge gaps, Xavier O'Halloran, CEO of Super Consumers Australia, says, "There are things you can do right now with your super to set yourself up for the future."
Super Consumers suggests the following steps for each generation:
- Gen Z: Log in! Sign into your superannuation account and check you're being paid.
- Millennials: Check the insurance in your super meets your family's needs.
- Gen X: Calculate your retirement target to know how much you'll need. (The Moneysmart website has handy resources for this.)
- Boomers: Choose what happens to your super if something happens to you (your death benefit nomination).
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