They can't beat Bangladesh, but boy they are paid well

Good grief Australian cricketers get paid well. Admittedly they are not in the realm of the stupid like rugby players or footballers, but when state players get between A$34,000 and A$98,000 (plus $A3300 per match) you do have to wonder why New Zealand's first-class cricketers aren't migrating across the ditch. The base "retainer" for international cricketers will rise to a minimum of A$160,000 in the next couple of years. Presumably they have a scale similar to that in New Zealand Cricket meaning that Brad Hogg will be somewhere near the base and Ricky Ponting will receive significantly more. On top of this retainer players also receive A$12,750 per test and A$5100 per ODI.

In contrast I believe the New Zealand figures are something like a maximum retainer of $28,000 for a first-class cricketer and a retainer of between $45,000 and $220,000 for those contracted to New Zealand Cricket. I am not sure what they get in terms of match fees.