Home Legislative Drafter Salary
Legislative Drafter salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a legislative drafter is $124,800 per annum, before tax, up $26,400 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay follows the public sector classification you are employed under, so a drafter in a state parliamentary counsel office and one in a Commonwealth department can be on different scales for similar work.
- Progression comes mainly from moving up the legal classification rather than from changing employer.
- The complexity of the drafting you handle and your seniority move pay more than location does.
The median salary rose by $26,400 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 legislative drafter
The largest typical pay rise is $56,900 a year, moving into Barrister.
- Barrister+$56,900/yr
- Tribunal Member+$13,000/yr
How to negotiate a higher legislative drafter salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time legislative drafter salary is $124,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Legislative Drafters are on the national skills shortage list, 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 Legal research and Drafting and contracts tend to command a premium over general legislative drafter experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Barrister pays a typical $56,900 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."
Legislative Drafter salary questions
How much do legislative drafters earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a legislative drafter is $124,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is legislative drafter pay rising or falling?
The median legislative drafter salary is up $26,400 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than legislative drafter?
Barrister pays a typical $56,900 a year more and draws on similar skills to legislative drafter.
Related salaries
- Solicitor salary
- Barrister salary
- Tribunal Member salary
- Corporate Lawyer salary
- Intellectual Property Lawyer salary
- Legal Executive 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.