celebrity tradie Scott Cam takes a paycut for taxpayer funded role due to coronavirus

Scott Cam takes a paycut: Celebrity tradie won’t receive the rest of his $350,000 taxpayer funded ‘careers ambassador’ salary due to coronavirus crisis

  • TV tradie Scott Cam was set to get $350,000 for 15 months ‘ambassador’ role 
  • Since the coronavirus pandemic swept the country, he has taken a pay cut
  • Logie winner’s pay cut comes as he can no longer do face-to-face appearances 
  • Under COVID-19 restrictions, mass gatherings have been banned in Australia
  • Restrictions have also seen hundreds of businesses and TAFE colleges to close

TV tradie Scott Cam will only receive part of his staggering six-figure salary from the government due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The celebrity builder was set to get $350,000 from the Federal Government to be a ‘careers ambassador’ for 15 months. 

The Gold Logie-winner was supposed to demonstrate how practical and technical training can lead to high-paying jobs. 

However, Mr Cam’s role has changed since the outbreak of COVID-19 forced workplaces and TAFE colleges to close.

Social distancing measures, which were introduced to slow the spread of the disease, mean Mr Cam can no longer take part in face-to-face appearances as those typically involve large crowds. 

He has volunteered to forgo his salary payments moving forward, Minister for Employment Michaelia Cash said.

TV tradie Scott Cam (pictured  alongside Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Michaelia Cash and Prime Minister Scott Morrison) will only receive part of his staggering six-figure salary from the government due to the coronavirus pandemic

‘Mr Cam will continue to work with the Australian Government and the National Careers Institute to amplify online training opportunities and engage with Australians through digital mediums.’ 

Mr Cam is believed to have been paid $145,000 for the first five months of his work, which involved one public appearance and a series of social media posts.

Outrage was sparked when it was revealed how much Mr Cam’s taxpayer-funded role was worth. 

Cash told Daily Mail Australia at the time, Mr Cam was a real-life example of where a trade can take you.

Mr Cam is believed to have been paid $145,000 for the first five months of his work, which involved one public appearance and a series of social media posts

Mr Cam is believed to have been paid $145,000 for the first five months of his work, which involved one public appearance and a series of social media posts

‘As Ambassador, Scott Cam will promote careers and the VET system and help direct people to the right career advice at the right time,’ she said in an emailed statement 

Mr Cam, 58, first appeared on lifestyle show Backyard Blitz in 2000, and popped up regularly on other shows including Renovation Rescue before he began hosting The Block in 2010, a role for which he won a Gold Logie in 2014.

MSN reported in August that the popular TV tradie was looking to new horizons – perhaps a cooking or travelling show – before he inked a deal in October to become the federal government’s national careers ambassador in a bid to get more young people on the tools. 



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