Grip salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a grip is $88,400 per annum, before tax, up $18,700 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Grips are usually paid a day rate, and that rate is set by the production's budget and any industry agreement that covers it rather than by a single national award.
- Bigger productions and union-covered crews tend to pay more, while commercials and low-budget shoots often pay less.
- Overtime, night shoots and travel allowances can add to a year's total, particularly on location work.
The median salary rose by $18,700 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 grip
The largest typical pay rise is $5,200 a year, moving into Rigger.
- Rigger+$5,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher grip salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time grip salary is $88,400; 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 Hand and power tool work and Plant and equipment operation tend to command a premium over general grip experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Rigger pays a typical $5,200 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."
Grip salary questions
How much do grips earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a grip is $88,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is grip pay rising or falling?
The median grip salary is up $18,700 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than grip?
Rigger pays a typical $5,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to grip.
Related salaries
- Lighting Technician salary
- Rigger salary
- Pyrotechnician salary
- Stagehand salary
- Special Effects Technician salary
- Audiovisual Technician 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.