Reality TV ... Bondi Rescue lifeguards (L-R) Bruce Hopkins, Daniel McLaughlin and Harry Knightingale / Pic: Cameron Richardson Source: The Daily Telegraph
Amy Harris, The Daily Telegraph, reports
They are the stars of a TV show which is reaping millions in advertising and licensing revenue from all over the world.
But the Waverley Council lifeguards that make up the cast of the award-winning Bondi Rescue, one of Channel 10's most popular shows in its seventh season, still average about $60,000 as their annual salary.
It is understood all 33 of the lifeguards who appear on the show do so on a "gratis" basis and are not paid by production company The Cordell Jigsaw Group, despite the show airing in 13 countries and on both free-to-air and pay TV in Australia. Not surprisingly, after six years, four Logies and 58 episodes, the arrangement has started to wear thin among some of the cast.
The show's executive producer Michael Cordell, who is in partnership with co-executive producer Nick Murray, has done all right - he lives in a $4.9 million Bronte mansion.
Mr Cordell confirmed the company did not pay the show's lifeguards an additional salary but said that, while it had been sold internationally, Bondi Rescue was not a "millionaire's factory".
"It is a tricky issue and as a documentary filmmaker I can see why those issues would come up but, as a documentary series, it is crucial that the integrity of the show is retained," Mr Cordell said. "Paying the lifeguards to appear on the show would obviously compromise that."
Mr Cordell also pointed out that the Cordell Jigsaw Group paid Waverley Council a "significant amount" for the right to film the series at the beach and the production group also paid lifeguards additional money to promote the show in their own time. It is also understood that the Bondi lifeguards received a percentage of the profits made from Bondi Rescue merchandising.
"We want (the lifeguards) to be happy and we try and bend over backwards to make them happy," Mr Cordell said.
"We pay for Christmas parties and parties at the start of the season and we offer payment for promotional appearances.
"But, obviously, with between 30 and 40 lifeguards ... divided up that is not much."
The issue remains a contentious one among some of the on-air cast who, while they asked not to be named, said the payment disparity had started to take its toll.
"Obviously we are not in this industry for the money and love what we do," said one, who has appeared on six seasons of the reality series.
"But after a while you start to think: 'Hang on. A few people are making a lot of money here and we're not seeing anything'."
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