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Journalist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a journalist is $89,500 per annum, before tax, up $18,700 since 2018.
- What a journalist earns depends heavily on the employer: a commercial television newsroom or a large metropolitan masthead pays more than a small regional title or a community radio station.
- Enterprise agreements and award rates set most newsroom pay, while casual and freelance work is usually paid per shift, per word or per story.
- Broadcast and digital rosters can also attract shift penalties and allowances for weekend and overnight 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 journalist
The largest typical pay rise is $49,700 a year, moving into Communications Manager.
- Communications Manager+$49,700/yr
- Public Relations Officer+$16,900/yr
- SEO Specialist+$12,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher journalist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time journalist salary is $89,500; 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 Data analysis and Content creation and writing tend to command a premium over general journalist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Communications Manager pays a typical $49,700 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."
Journalist salary questions
How much do journalists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a journalist is $89,500 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is journalist pay rising or falling?
The median journalist 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 journalist?
Communications Manager pays a typical $49,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to journalist.
Related salaries
- Public Relations Officer salary
- Communications Manager salary
- Publishing Editor salary
- Television Presenter salary
- SEO Specialist salary
- Content Writer 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.