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Meat Boner and Slicer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a meat boner and slicer is $59,800 per annum, before tax, up $12,800 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay comes from the Meat Industry Award or a plant's enterprise agreement, so the rate depends on the site and the classification you are placed at.
- Shift work, overtime and time in cold or freezer areas attract loadings, and casual positions usually carry a loading in place of paid leave.
- Boners who handle a wider range of cuts, or work quickly without losing yield, tend to move up the classifications.
The median salary rose by $12,800 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 meat boner and slicer
The largest typical pay rise is $20,800 a year, moving into Butcher.
- Butcher+$20,800/yr
- Meat Inspector+$17,200/yr
- Slaughterer+$2,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher meat boner and slicer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time meat boner and slicer salary is $59,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Meat Boner and Slicers 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 Hand and power tool work and Food safety and hygiene tend to command a premium over general meat boner and slicer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Butcher pays a typical $20,800 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."
Meat Boner and Slicer salary questions
How much do meat boner and slicers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a meat boner and slicer is $59,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is meat boner and slicer pay rising or falling?
The median meat boner and slicer salary is up $12,800 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than meat boner and slicer?
Butcher pays a typical $20,800 a year more and draws on similar skills to meat boner and slicer.
Related salaries
- Butcher salary
- Slaughterer salary
- Meat Inspector salary
- Meat Process Worker salary
- Packaging Operator salary
- Metal Polisher 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.