Archivist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an archivist is $118,500 per annum, before tax, up $24,800 since 2018.
- Pay is set by the employer's classification structure rather than one market rate, so a state records office, a university and a museum can pay differently for similar work.
- Employers usually ask for a postgraduate qualification and relevant collection experience, and both affect where you sit in the band.
- Responsibility for a collection, a team or a digital program is what tends to move an archivist up through the bands.
The median salary rose by $24,800 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.
How to negotiate a higher archivist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time archivist salary is $118,500; 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 Data analysis and Regulatory compliance tend to command a premium over general archivist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- 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."
Archivist salary questions
How much do archivists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an archivist is $118,500 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is archivist pay rising or falling?
The median archivist salary is up $24,800 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
Related salaries
- Librarian salary
- Records Manager salary
- Policy Officer salary
- Curator salary
- Administration Officer salary
- Urban Planner 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.