Headmaster’s top pay

Grammar chief’s salary revealed in state parliament documents

TOOWOOMBA Grammar School headmaster Peter Hauser is the third highestpaid grammar school head in Queensland, according to documents tabled in state parliament last month.

Mr Hauser’s 2017 salary of $503,000 was revealed in the school’s annual report tabled alongside that of Queensland’s seven other grammar schools.

His salary is topped by Townsville Grammar principal Richard Fairley who took home $506,000 before retiring at the end of 2017, and Brisbane Grammar headmaster Anthony Micallef who topped the list with an annual salary of $555,000 last year.

Mr Hauser’s salary, and that of his peers, is more than Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s yearly earnings of $400,000.

The report also showed the salary of the Toowoomba Grammar headmaster had actually decreased since the previous year by $1000.

Deputy headmaster Timothy Kelly, who joined Townsville Grammar as its principal this year, earned $354,000 while the school’s chief financial officer Graham Woolacott was paid $255,000.

Directors of studies and sports and activities had salaries of $168,000 and $165,000 respectively at the school last year.

In total, the school spent $18,711,377 on the wages and salaries of its staff.

The report also detailed how Toowoomba Grammar had $5,104,552 remaining to pay on its contract to construct a state of the art $12.5 million gymnasium that is due for completion this month.

The school also flagged plans to bring in more foreign boarders from India, stating it would “absorb any underutilised capacity in our boarding houses”.

CFO Mr Woolacott said he was pleased with the school’s financial future.

“We’re in a sound financial position,” he said.

“I think we operate an efficient organisation,” Mr Woolacott said.