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Aquaculture Worker salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an aquaculture worker is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,500 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay follows the aquaculture award or an enterprise agreement, and the biggest differences come from the role and the site: managers, and workers holding dive or vessel qualifications, earn well above entry level.
- Shift rosters, weekend and public holiday penalties, and the length of a harvest season lift weekly earnings, while smaller family operations may pay less than large-scale producers.
The median salary rose by $13,500 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 aquaculture worker
The largest typical pay rise is $31,200 a year, moving into Abalone Diver.
- Abalone Diver+$31,200/yr
- Deckhand+$24,400/yr
- Aquaculture Farmer+$16,100/yr
How to negotiate a higher aquaculture worker salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time aquaculture worker salary is $65,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Aquaculture Workers are on the skills shortage list for regional areas, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Operations management and Plant and equipment operation tend to command a premium over general aquaculture worker experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Abalone Diver pays a typical $31,200 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."
Aquaculture Worker salary questions
How much do aquaculture workers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an aquaculture worker is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is aquaculture worker pay rising or falling?
The median aquaculture worker salary is up $13,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than aquaculture worker?
Abalone Diver pays a typical $31,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to aquaculture worker.
Related salaries
- Aquaculture Farmer salary
- Agricultural Machinery Operator salary
- Abalone Diver salary
- Fishing Hand salary
- Deckhand salary
- Farm Worker 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.