Marcia O'Neill, a fellow of the CPA who is a former board member and former Victorian divisional president, said Mr Malley's pay packet was "outrageous" and that he had to resign for the sake of the organisation.

"It's member's money and this is about the integrity of my profession. I think the CEO should do the right thing and step aside so the organisation, the board and the executive, can be refreshed. I'm very sad that is that taken so long to do the right thing and disclose the remuneration to the members," she said.

Ruth Medd, a fellow of the CPA who is also the chair of Women on Boards, said pay at the top was too much. Mr Malley is paid more than twice that of Lee White, the outgoing head of Chartered Accountants ANZ.

"Alex has done a fine job but he should consider stepping down in the interest of the organisations," she said.

Ms Medd also said that CPA Australia had used the wrong benchmarks to justify Mr Malley's remuneration in its defence document.

CPA boss Alex Malley is paid three times more than Prime Minister MalcolmTurnbull. Andrew Meares

"Alex's pay looks to me to be excessive. In the view of the CPA, he's doing a much bigger job that he actually is. I'll acknowledge he has a slightly bigger remit than Chartered Accountants because it is international, but they've mis-sized Alex's job. They seem to have 'oversized' his job," she said.

Board also overpaid


Ms Medd added that some of the directors also appeared to be overpaid. The former chairman Graeme Wade was paid $358,635, while two other board members, the outgoing Mr Petty and Michele Dolin, were paid more than $160,000.

"This appears to be too much compared with other similar organisation and what they they pay their directors. CPA is a not-for-profit social enterprise and normally these types of organisation don't compare themselves against for-profit companies. The market has moved, there's been great pressure on companies in general to temper what they pay they CEOs," she said.

Ms Medd also said the pay of the chairs of industry and public sector super funds were better benchmarks for CPA Australia. Research by Women on Boards shows REST Super pays its chair $150,000, while the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation, pays its chair $145,000.

Brett Stevenson, an accountant who has been the public face of a group of rebel members calling for change at CPA Australia, said the 32-page defence document was all "spin".

"I read through it last night and it is misrepresenting and glossing over the issues. [It's] a small victory to have forced them to fully disclose what they should have done a long time ago but a sense of enormous disappointment at the extent to which these 'so-called' leaders have gone to try to justify the unjustifiable and seem blind to the bleeding obvious," said Mr Stevenson.

He also wanted Mr Malley and the rest of the board to all step down. "I think strategically they are wrecking the organisation and wrecking the profession. It's gone from being quite a respectable organisation to be becoming a laughing stock," he said.

Carlin under pressure


CPA Australia chairman Tyrone Carlin, who revealed he received more than $254,000 in director's fees last year, is standing down after just eight months as chairman.

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The disclosure of Mr Carlin's fees relate to last calender year and so his chairman's fees only cover the last three months of 2016, before which he was a director on the CPA board.

University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence has been forced to defend Mr Carlin's position including in this response to key CPA agitator Mr Stevenson last month.

"Professor Carlin assures me and, after reviewing the matter, I am satisfied that his remunerated activities outside the university, including with the CPA, consistent with university policy do not take up more than 20 per cent of a normal working week," the Vice-Chancellor wrote on April 28.

CPA argues that Mr Malley's pay equates to just over $11 each for its 160,000 members, although Rear Window has reported on the debate over the number of associate members and CPA's true membership level.

CPA Australia pay details. Les Hewitt

'Well received'


Mr Malley said that the report had been "very well received" by members.

"Our organisation is achieving at record levels. We have a 98.3 per cent member retention rate and we are already tracking higher this year than at the same time last year - on that metric and member growth too," he said.

"If three members hold an alternate view, that's a matter for them. For the record, our comprehensive report sent to 160,000 members around the world yesterday has been very well received."

The University of Sydney declined to comment.

edmundtadros@afr.com.au

Ruth Medd, FCPA and chair of Women on Boards. Supplied