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Environmental Scientist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an environmental scientist is $101,600 per annum, before tax, up $21,700 since 2018.
- Pay moves most with the sector: consultancies, government agencies and resource companies each set their own bands, and resources work often pays more for remote or site-based rosters.
- Government roles follow enterprise agreements with defined increments, while consultancy pay tends to track experience and how much of a project you can run yourself.
- Specialist skills such as contaminated land assessment or ecological approvals can lift earnings, because clients need them before a project can proceed.
The median salary rose by $21,700 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 environmental scientist
The largest typical pay rise is $36,100 a year, moving into Environmental Engineer.
- Environmental Engineer+$36,100/yr
- Environmental Manager+$20,600/yr
- Agronomist+$6,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher environmental scientist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time environmental scientist salary is $101,600; 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 Field research and sampling and Laboratory analysis tend to command a premium over general environmental scientist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Environmental Engineer pays a typical $36,100 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."
Environmental Scientist salary questions
How much do environmental scientists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an environmental scientist is $101,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is environmental scientist pay rising or falling?
The median environmental scientist salary is up $21,700 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than environmental scientist?
Environmental Engineer pays a typical $36,100 a year more and draws on similar skills to environmental scientist.
Related salaries
- Environmental Manager salary
- Botanist salary
- Environmental Engineer salary
- Forester salary
- Agronomist salary
- Biologist 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.