When Bill Shorten finally gave up his hopes of ever becoming prime minister, one door closed and another, much more lucrative, door opened. 

In his new role as vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra, he could earn up to three times as much as the PM. 

His appointment comes amid a fight about the exorbitant salaries Australian vice-chancellors receive and as his government's new cap on international students raises big questions about funding shortfalls in higher education. 

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how much vice-chancellors earn and how they justify it. 

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe

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