Actor salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an actor is $88,000 per annum, before tax, up $18,700 since 2018.
- What you earn moves with the kind of production you are in and how long the contract runs: a guest role on a series, a commercial, a stage season and a voiceover session are all paid on different terms.
- The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance sets minimum rates for many film, television and theatre productions, while fringe and independent work often pays little or nothing.
- Ask the producer whether the fee is a flat payment for the whole engagement or includes repeats, streaming and overseas screenings, and check what your agent's commission comes out of.
The median salary rose by $18,700 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than actor
The largest typical pay rise is $42,900 a year, moving into Tutor.
- Tutor+$42,900/yr
- Video Producer+$5,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher actor salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time actor salary is $88,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Performance and stagecraft tend to command a premium over general actor experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Tutor pays a typical $42,900 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Actor salary questions
How much do actors earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an actor is $88,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is actor pay rising or falling?
The median actor salary is up $18,700 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than actor?
Tutor pays a typical $42,900 a year more and draws on similar skills to actor.
Related salaries
- Entertainer salary
- Film and Television Director salary
- Theatre Director salary
- Video Producer salary
- Tutor salary
- Model salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.