About halfway through lunch with Miriam Gluyas, the new head of the Salvation Army in Australia, I ask if she received a pay rise for being promoted from Lt Colonel to Territorial Commander and chair of the local board of directors, the Australian Financial Review reports.
“There’s no pay rise,” she says, before volunteering that she will continue to get paid $430 a week when she takes the new job on February 1.
After some quick mental arithmetic, I realise the person in charge of a $1 billion-a-year charitable enterprise overseeing about 8700 employees, 1700 officers and 21,000 volunteers earns about $20,000 a year.
Salvation Army Commissioner Miriam Gluyas having lunch at the Salvos’ kitchen for the homeless in Surry Hills, Sydney. Michael Quelch
The job comes with a house, as is the case for all officers. Her new role is based in Melbourne, so she’ll be packing up and heading south. The Salvation Army’s houses are also available for retired officers to rent, so when she eventually decides to step down, she won’t have to worry about accommodation.
We are having lunch at the Streetlevel Mission in Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Surry Hills. It’s a far cry from the four and five-star restaurants where Lunch with the AFR normally takes place.
FULL STORY
Meet the head of a $1b business who earns less than $450 a week (Australian Financial Review)
PHOTO
Salvation Army Commissioner Miriam Gluyas having lunch at the Salvos’ kitchen for the homeless in Surry Hills, Sydney. Michael Quelch
