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Fruit and Vegetable Packer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a fruit and vegetable packer is $52,000 per annum, before tax, up $11,000 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay usually comes from the horticulture award or an enterprise agreement, so base rates are fairly consistent between packhouses, with casual and seasonal workers receiving a loading on top.
- Shift work, weekend work and public holidays during harvest lift weekly earnings, and a few sheds pay piece rates that can reward speed but vary with the crop.
- Larger growers and food manufacturers generally pay above the smaller family-run packhouses, and qualifications such as a forklift licence or a food safety certificate can move you onto a higher classification.
The median salary rose by $11,000 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 fruit and vegetable packer
The largest typical pay rise is $20,800 a year, moving into Orchardist.
- Orchardist+$20,800/yr
- Bakery Assistant+$19,800/yr
- Coffee Roaster+$13,000/yr
How to negotiate a higher fruit and vegetable packer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time fruit and vegetable packer salary is $52,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Fruit and Vegetable Packers are on the skills shortage list for regional areas, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Food safety and hygiene and Plant and equipment operation tend to command a premium over general fruit and vegetable packer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Orchardist pays a typical $20,800 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."
Fruit and Vegetable Packer salary questions
How much do fruit and vegetable packers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a fruit and vegetable packer is $52,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is fruit and vegetable packer pay rising or falling?
The median fruit and vegetable packer salary is up $11,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than fruit and vegetable packer?
Orchardist pays a typical $20,800 a year more and draws on similar skills to fruit and vegetable packer.
Related salaries
- Product Grader salary
- Meat Process Worker salary
- Bakery Assistant salary
- Coffee Roaster salary
- Orchardist salary
- Fruit Picker 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.