The woman responsible for one of the most lucrative contracts in Australian TV history says that if the world was just, nurses would earn more than celebrity presenters.
“Is the world fair? Should nurses earn more than TV stars? Probably, but they just don’t,” Ten programming boss Beverley McGarvey told The Daily Telegraph on Thursday.
Slightly surprising, given this comes from the woman responsible for signing Lisa Wilkinson’s reported $2.3 million contract with Channel 10 after her sudden departure from the Nine Network last month.
But – as McGarvey said – that’s not the way the world works.
“Obviously when you look at school teachers and nurses and doctors, should those people be earning more than somebody who has fun and travels the world? Of course. There is a commercial reality that drives things, the market dictates it.”
The national average salary for a teacher in Australia is $65,371, while the equivalent for a nurse is slightly less at $63,784.
Top Comments
In an ideal world, I absolutely agree that all health professionals and teachers should be paid millions of dollars, but you do realise what that would mean right? No one would be able to afford healthcare OR education.
There are other factors that keep people satisfied in their jobs apart from pay. Respect, appreciation and acknowledgement are key ones. I’m a health professional and I love my job and I’m satisfied with my pay but what I sometimes find really difficult to deal with is certain behaviour. Drug seeking behaviour in particular is one that I find very tricky as people who are dependent can get very abusive and violent. I’ve been assaulted or been threatened with assault a number of times. So respect for people in these positions would be a nice start if the wage can’t be brought up.
Agreed. Can I add in social workers...who are predominantly women by the way? They work in school, hospital, nonprofit, other mental health areas and child protection roles. Despite having roles that work to ensure the safety of our most vulnerable people especially children, they are overworked, underpaid and unappreciated.