As Adelaide university is barely functioning as an educational entity, the multimillion-dollar pay packet of a former SA university chief has been labelled “obscene”.
The former University of South Australia Vice Chancellor David Lloyd received a payout of $1.128 million following the merger of the universities of South Australia and Adelaide, an auditor general’s report reveals, bringing his total remuneration for the single year of 2025 to $3.112 million.
Lloyd earnt a base salary of $1.015 million for 2025 plus superannuation of $209,000 and performance pay and long service leave of $760,000.
SA Greens leader Robert Simms said the high pay package for Lloyd, who began working as a principal at BlueRange Advisory in May 2026, “certainly doesn’t” pass the pub test, labelling the amount “obscene”.
Another unnamed member of the University Council and senior management at the University of Adelaide had a remuneration of between $1,345,000 to 1,359,999 in 2025, while at Flinders University, there was one person in the $1,480,000 to $1,489,999 bracket.
An Adelaide University spokesperson said that as the pay package for the former co-Vice Chancellors was determined by their respective foundation university councils, Adelaide University “is therefore unable to provide insight into these arrangements”.
Which means no one knows or isn’t telling.
In September 2025, Simms introduced the Statutes Amendment (Universities – Caps of Vice Chancellor Salaries) Bill, which was supported by Tammy Franks and Sarah Game and would have limited vice chancellors’ salaries to that of the Premier, who earns $460,000 a year.
“It does seem crazy that a vice chancellor of a university could be earning more than the premier of our state,” Simms said.
Asked if the hard work of university vice-chancellors makes the salaries justifiable, Simms said, “There are a lot of people in our community that work incredibly hard and don’t get anywhere near that kind of remuneration”.
“I think our universities are public institutions and I find that kind of a package really obscene, particularly at a time when so many people are struggling,” he said.
“I think it shows that our universities are becoming out of step with the community – these universities are being run like giant corporations, and the vice chancellors are being treated like multinational CEOs, and I don’t think that’s what the community wants to see.
“I think a lot of people working in the university sector would be a bit astounded by that, given it seems like the merger has been a bit of a shit show…”