ABC, SBS reject call to reveal pay packets

The ABC and SBS have staunchly refused a request from the Turnbull government to disclose the individual salaries of its highest-paid staff.

Managing directors of both broadcasters told a Senate estimates committee hearing on Tuesday they already provide tables with breakdowns of the number of staff who earn more than $200,000 a year.

The ABC's Michelle Guthrie revealed about 150 people at her organisation earn in excess of that.

She told the committee she had received advice from the prime minister's department that revealing individual salaries by name would breach the Privacy Act.

Ms Guthrie confirmed she was the ABC's highest-paid staffer, with her salary set by the independent Remuneration Tribunal.

She denied there was a gender pay gap at the ABC and said its highest-paid presenter was a woman who earned about one-eighth of the BBC's top presenter, who was a man.

"That presenter earns $3.7 million," Ms Guthrie said.

"Our highest-paid talent earns roughly one-eighth of that figure and is a woman."

Ms Guthrie told the committee the public broadcaster led the way on gender representation.

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield had written to ABC and SBS requesting them to individually report salaries above $200,000.

One Nation had pushed for the measure in exchange for its support for the government's media ownership overhaul.

But SBS' Michael Ebeid is concerned such a measure would leave the broadcaster at a commercial disadvantage.

"I'm not sure what the problem is that we're trying to solve other than embarrassing employees or having some salacious headlines about what people earn," he said.

"We need to operate in a competitive environment where people are poached all the time."

Unlike the BBC which had salaries in the millions, SBS doesn't have salaries out of control, he said.

Quizzed by the Greens whether he would like to see his staff's pay packets disclosed, Senator Fifield said the bands of ministerial advisers were well known.