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Marine Pilot salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a marine pilot is $145,600 per annum, before tax, up $30,900 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay is usually set by an enterprise agreement with the port authority or pilotage provider, so the port, the size of ships it handles and the amount of shift and on-call work all shape what you earn.
- Loadings for night, weekend and public holiday transits make up a real part of the total.
- Holding a licence for more than one port, or for larger tonnage, also pushes pay up.
The median salary rose by $30,900 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.
How to negotiate a higher marine pilot salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time marine pilot salary is $145,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Marine Pilots 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 Operations management tend to command a premium over general marine pilot experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- 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."
Marine Pilot salary questions
How much do marine pilots earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a marine pilot is $145,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is marine pilot pay rising or falling?
The median marine pilot salary is up $30,900 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
Related salaries
- Harbour Master salary
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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.