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Optical Mechanic salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an optical mechanic is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,900 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay follows the award or enterprise agreement of the employer, so a large retail chain and a small independent laboratory can pay differently for identical work.
- Laboratories that handle a high volume of progressive lenses, coatings and rimless glazing tend to pay above the base rate, and shift or overtime work adds to it when orders build up.
- Running a laboratory's workflow and staff is usually paid above the bench rate.
The median salary rose by $13,900 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.
Roles that pay more than optical mechanic
The largest typical pay rise is $46,400 a year, moving into Electronic Engineering Technician.
- Electronic Engineering Technician+$46,400/yr
- Optical Dispenser+$40,900/yr
- Electrical Engineering Technician+$26,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher optical mechanic salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time optical mechanic salary is $65,000; 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 Craft and handmade production and Installation and maintenance tend to command a premium over general optical mechanic experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Electronic Engineering Technician pays a typical $46,400 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."
Optical Mechanic salary questions
How much do optical mechanics earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an optical mechanic is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is optical mechanic pay rising or falling?
The median optical mechanic salary is up $13,900 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than optical mechanic?
Electronic Engineering Technician pays a typical $46,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to optical mechanic.
Related salaries
- Optical Dispenser salary
- Electronic Engineering Technician salary
- Electrical Engineering Technician salary
- Saw Doctor salary
- Sewing Machine Mechanic 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.