Another light has been shone on the widespread rorting of the JobKeeper wage subsidy, with several large retailers reporting record profits and paying big executive bonuses and dividends:
The federal treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, has welcomed Super Retail Group’s decision to voluntarily return $1.7m of wage subsidies to the Australian government, while Labor has called for other rebounding retailers to follow its lead.
Super Retail Group – the owner of brands including Supercheap Auto, Rebel and Macpac – announced the decision on Monday, as it revealed a record $170m net profit after tax.
