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Communications Manager salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a communications manager is $139,200 per annum, before tax, up $29,000 since 2018.
- Pay moves most with the sector and the size of the function you run: government departments and large corporates pay more than small not-for-profits, and managing a team or a budget lifts it further.
- Some roles sit under an enterprise agreement with defined bands, while corporate in-house roles are negotiated individually.
- Crisis and on-call expectations usually show up as extra hours rather than penalty rates, because most communications managers are on salaries.
The median salary rose by $29,000 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 communications manager
The largest typical pay rise is $13,900 a year, moving into Policy and Planning Manager.
- Policy and Planning Manager+$13,900/yr
- General Manager+$9,000/yr
How to negotiate a higher communications manager salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time communications manager salary is $139,200; 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 Strategy development and Content creation and writing tend to command a premium over general communications manager experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Policy and Planning Manager pays a typical $13,900 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."
Communications Manager salary questions
How much do communications managers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a communications manager is $139,200 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is communications manager pay rising or falling?
The median communications manager salary is up $29,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than communications manager?
Policy and Planning Manager pays a typical $13,900 a year more and draws on similar skills to communications manager.
Related salaries
- Marketing Manager salary
- General Manager salary
- Policy and Planning Manager salary
- Brand Manager salary
- Customer Experience Manager salary
- Public Relations Officer 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.