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Loader Operator salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a loader operator is $94,600 per annum, before tax, up $20,200 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay depends heavily on the sector, with mining and resources work usually ahead of quarrying, civil construction and yard work, and remote or fly-in fly-out rosters ahead again.
- Shift work, overtime and enterprise agreements lift earnings, while work on smaller machines in yards sits at the lower end.
- Experience on larger loaders and a second or third plant class is what opens the better-paid rosters.
The median salary rose by $20,200 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 loader operator
The largest typical pay rise is $11,500 a year, moving into Bulk Materials Handling Operator.
- Bulk Materials Handling Operator+$11,500/yr
- Earthmoving Plant Operator+$8,400/yr
- Truck Driver+$7,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher loader operator salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time loader operator salary is $94,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Loader Operators 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 Plant and equipment operation and Worksite safety management tend to command a premium over general loader operator experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Bulk Materials Handling Operator pays a typical $11,500 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."
Loader Operator salary questions
How much do loader operators earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a loader operator is $94,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is loader operator pay rising or falling?
The median loader operator salary is up $20,200 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than loader operator?
Bulk Materials Handling Operator pays a typical $11,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to loader operator.
Related salaries
- Earthmoving Plant Operator salary
- Truck Driver salary
- Machine Operator salary
- Excavator Operator salary
- Bulk Materials Handling Operator salary
- Forklift Operator 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.