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Wheat growers and the opposition have pilloried AWB for paying millions of dollars to executives tainted by the Iraq kickbacks scandal, branding the golden handshakes a disgrace.
Five former executives at the monopoly wheat exporter pocketed salaries and benefits totalling more than A$6.5 million ($7.47 million) in their final year at the company.
The sum includes almost A$1 million to former chief financial officer Paul Ingleby - the man who claimed as a tax deduction the A$290 million in illicit payments AWB made to Baghdad under the UN's corruption-plagued oil-for-food program.
The figures, contained in yesterday's AWB annual report, also revealed the company made termination payments totalling more than A$1.2 million to two former executives who could face criminal charges over the kickbacks scandal.
The peak wheat growers' body, the Grains Council of Australia (GCA), today said the payouts were "scandalous".
"It would appear that the board of AWB is happy to reward incompetence and inappropriate behaviour by its former executives, while only grudgingly accepting their own personal responsibilities," GCA chairman Murray Jones said.
The executives were guilty of "imperilling" the future of the so-called single desk for wheat exports, Mr Jones said, with the federal government preparing to overhaul Australia's monopoly wheat marketing system.
Labor also condemned the payments, saying they beggared belief.
"AWB seems to live in a different moral universe. Rarely has such bad behaviour been so richly rewarded," opposition public accountability spokeswoman Penny Wong said.
"AWB has to explain to its shareholders and the Australian public how it can justify these exorbitant payouts in light of the company's performance.
"AWB's behaviour has sullied Australia's international reputation and hurt Australian wheat growers."
AWB chairman Brendan Stewart could not be reached for comment, but a company spokesman said the executives received money to which they were legally entitled.
"AWB met its legal obligations and departing executives were paid what they were owed under the terms of their contracts," he said.
"It is important to note that none of the former executives has been charged with any offence.
"AWB now has an entirely new management team in place, and executives including new managing director Gordon Davis have lower salary packages and benefits than the previous management team."
Acting Prime Minister and Nationals leader Mark Vaile refused to criticise the payments.
"That is a matter that the board of AWB will have to justify with their shareholders," he said.
In November, Commissioner Terence Cole recommended 11 former AWB executives face further investigation for possible breaches of criminal and corporations law.
They included former rural services chief Charles Stott, former trading manager Peter Geary, former in-house lawyer and company secretary Jim Cooper and former chief financial officer Paul Ingleby.
The men - who were paid A$3.5 million between them in their final year at the company - could face fraud-related charges under the federal and Victorian Crimes Acts, and the Corporations Act.
Former AWB managing director Andrew Lindberg, who was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Cole inquiry, left the company with a payout of more than A$3 million.
- AAP
