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Laboratory Manager salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a laboratory manager is $119,600 per annum, before tax, up $25,100 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay moves more with the employer than with the job title, because hospital and public health labs pay under enterprise agreements that carry shift and on-call loadings, while private pathology, mining and pharmaceutical labs set their own rates.
- The size of the laboratory, the scope of its accreditation and whether the manager also holds a scientific qualification all shift the figure.
The median salary rose by $25,100 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 laboratory manager
The largest typical pay rise is $30,500 a year, moving into Research and Development Manager.
- Research and Development Manager+$30,500/yr
- General Manager+$28,600/yr
- Quality Manager+$28,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher laboratory manager salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time laboratory manager salary is $119,600; 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 Laboratory analysis and Operations management tend to command a premium over general laboratory manager experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Research and Development Manager pays a typical $30,500 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."
Laboratory Manager salary questions
How much do laboratory managers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a laboratory manager is $119,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is laboratory manager pay rising or falling?
The median laboratory manager salary is up $25,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than laboratory manager?
Research and Development Manager pays a typical $30,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to laboratory manager.
Related salaries
- Quality Manager salary
- Research and Development Manager salary
- General Manager salary
- Laboratory Technician salary
- Medical Laboratory Scientist salary
- Chemist 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.