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Food Quality Assurance Officer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a food quality assurance officer is $83,200 per annum, before tax, up $17,300 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay follows the enterprise agreement or award covering the site, so a large processor and a small bakery can offer quite different rates for similar work.
- Shift rosters, night testing and weekend coverage usually attract penalty rates, and a lead auditor qualification or experience with a major retailer's own standard can lift you into a higher band.
- Moving from the production floor into a dedicated quality team often changes earnings more than any single certificate.
The median salary rose by $17,300 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 food quality assurance officer
The largest typical pay rise is $64,700 a year, moving into Quality Manager.
- Quality Manager+$64,700/yr
- Food Technologist+$30,900/yr
How to negotiate a higher food quality assurance officer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time food quality assurance officer salary is $83,200; 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 Food safety and hygiene and Laboratory analysis tend to command a premium over general food quality assurance officer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Quality Manager pays a typical $64,700 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."
Food Quality Assurance Officer salary questions
How much do food quality assurance officers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a food quality assurance officer is $83,200 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is food quality assurance officer pay rising or falling?
The median food quality assurance officer salary is up $17,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than food quality assurance officer?
Quality Manager pays a typical $64,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to food quality assurance officer.
Related salaries
- Quality Manager salary
- Food Technologist salary
- Meat Inspector salary
- Distiller salary
- Process Worker salary
- Winemaker 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.