Miner salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a miner is $151,200 per annum, before tax, up $32,300 since 2018.
- Base rates sit under an enterprise agreement or site contract, so they are broadly similar across the industry, but total earnings vary a lot.
- Site allowances, overtime, night shift and the roster pattern do most of that work, which is why a fly-in fly-out swing usually pays more than a residential job on the same site.
- Underground work and licensed roles such as shot firing generally pay above surface production work.
The median salary rose by $32,300 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 miner
The largest typical pay rise is $32,500 a year, moving into Refinery Operator.
- Refinery Operator+$32,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher miner salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time miner salary is $151,200; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Miners are on the skills shortage list for regional areas, 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 miner experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Refinery Operator pays a typical $32,500 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."
Miner salary questions
How much do miners earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a miner is $151,200 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is miner pay rising or falling?
The median miner salary is up $32,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than miner?
Refinery Operator pays a typical $32,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to miner.
Related salaries
- Mine Deputy salary
- Earthmoving Plant Operator salary
- Shot Firer salary
- Driller salary
- Refinery Operator salary
- Mining Labourer 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.