16. Executive compensation [LO 1.4] Critics have charged that compensation to top managers in Australia is simply too high and should be cut back. For example, focusing on large companies, Andrew Barkla, CEO of IDP Education, earned about $38 million in 2019. Are such amounts excessive? In answering, it might be helpful to recognise that entertainers such as Chris Hemsworth, Taylor Swift, Dwayne Johnson and many others at the top of their respective fields earn at least as much, if not a great deal more.