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Executive Assistant salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an executive assistant is $95,300 per annum, before tax, up $20,100 since 2018.
- Who you support and where you work decide your pay far more than the label on the role: assistants to chief executives in government departments and large firms are usually covered by an enterprise agreement with set increments, while a small business negotiates each salary individually.
- Ask whether the figure assumes regular after-hours contact, because many executive assistants field calls and messages well outside standard hours, and check whether time in lieu or overtime applies.
- Ask about the pay band, the review cycle and who the role reports to when the executive is away.
The median salary rose by $20,100 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 executive assistant
The largest typical pay rise is $19,400 a year, moving into Customer Experience Manager.
- Customer Experience Manager+$19,400/yr
- Project Coordinator+$15,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher executive assistant salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time executive assistant salary is $95,300; 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 Project management and Data analysis tend to command a premium over general executive assistant experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Customer Experience Manager pays a typical $19,400 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."
Executive Assistant salary questions
How much do executive assistants earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an executive assistant is $95,300 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is executive assistant pay rising or falling?
The median executive assistant salary is up $20,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than executive assistant?
Customer Experience Manager pays a typical $19,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to executive assistant.
Related salaries
- Office Manager salary
- Project Coordinator salary
- Customer Experience Manager salary
- Administration Officer salary
- Secretary salary
- Receptionist 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.