FAT cats at the government-owned National Broadband Network pocketed $10 million in pay this year, despite the company’s $4.2 billion loss.

Chief executive Bill Morrow earned $3.62 million — six times more than Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The former Vodafone boss’s pay package includes a $2.36 million salary plus $1.16 million performance bonus — which was $85,000 less than his bonus last year.

He earns 53 per cent more than Australia Post’s new chief executive Christine Holgate, whose total pay was capped at $2.75 million after a political furore over the $5.6 million salary paid to her predecessor Ahmed Fahour.

Million-dollar packages were paid to five top executives at NBN Co, its latest annual report reveals.

Chief financial officer­ Stephen Rue received $1.35 million including a $290,755 performance bonus.

Chairman Ziggy Switkowski, a former Telstra boss, was paid $233,445.

Performance bonuses for the six top executives were 8 per cent higher than expected even though NBN Co failed to meet its own target for customer­ satisfaction, plagued by complaints about delays in connections and slow internet speeds.

NBN Co’s annual report, tabled­ in federal parliament yesterday, reveals it awarded a contract to a company chaired by one of its directors, ABC chairman Justin Milne.

Mr Milne also chairs NetComm Wireless Ltd, which is supplying distribution point units for NBN Co. “Mr Milne recused himself from the board meeting for the period of time (when) the directors approved the award of the contract,’’ the report states.

The federal government-owned NBN Co made a $4.2 billion net loss after tax during 2016/17. “This loss is in line with expectations and reflects the current stage of operations and network build as NBN continues to invest and build a sustainable business for the future­,’’ the report states.

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Taxpayers gave NBN Co a $7.1 billion equity injection this year for “acquiring property, plant and equipment and funding operational requirements’’.

In total, taxpayers have spent $27.5 billion on the NBN, which has provided broadband connections to 2.4 million homes and businesses.

The federal government also gave NBN Co a $19.5 billion loan last December­ to complete connection to eight million homes by 2020. NBN Co’s operating expenses of $1.8 billion were 83 per cent higher than its $1 billion in revenue, the annual­ report shows.

Staff costs soared 25 per cent to $751 million, after NBN Co hired more than 1000 new staff. Spending on self-promotion rose 58 per cent to $79 million on “branding, research, advertising and media, as well as campaigns to help educate end users on the benefits of and how to connect to the NBN network’’.