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Machine Operator salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a machine operator is $80,800 per annum, before tax, up $17,000 since 2018.
- Pay moves most with the shift you work and the sector you work in, since rotating rosters and night shift carry loadings and processing plants in resources and heavy industry pay above food and packaging work.
- Enterprise agreements set the base rate at most larger sites, so the same machine can pay differently at two plants in the same city.
- Taking on setup or leading-hand duties is the usual way to lift the rate without changing employer.
The median salary rose by $17,000 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 machine operator
The largest typical pay rise is $102,900 a year, moving into Refinery Operator.
- Refinery Operator+$102,900/yr
- Miner+$70,400/yr
- Bulk Materials Handling Operator+$25,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher machine operator salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time machine operator salary is $80,800; 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 Plant and equipment operation and Data analysis tend to command a premium over general machine operator experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Refinery Operator pays a typical $102,900 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."
Machine Operator salary questions
How much do machine operators earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a machine operator is $80,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is machine operator pay rising or falling?
The median machine operator salary is up $17,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than machine operator?
Refinery Operator pays a typical $102,900 a year more and draws on similar skills to machine operator.
Related salaries
- Earthmoving Plant Operator salary
- Refinery Operator salary
- Truck Driver salary
- Miner salary
- Bulk Materials Handling Operator salary
- Process Worker 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.