Plasterer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a plasterer is $95,700 per annum, before tax, up $20,000 since 2018.
- How you're engaged changes the figure more than anything else: wages under the building and construction award on one hand, or a subcontract rate per square metre on the other, where output sets what you take home.
- Licensing affects it too, since plastering and rendering are regulated trades in some states and not in others.
- A plasterer with their own equipment and a steady run of builders can earn well above the on-wages rate, while quiet stretches between jobs pull the other way.
The median salary rose by $20,000 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 plasterer
The largest typical pay rise is $99,400 a year, moving into Construction Manager.
- Construction Manager+$99,400/yr
- Concreter+$19,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher plasterer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time plasterer salary is $95,700; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Plasterers 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 Reading plans and specifications tend to command a premium over general plasterer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Construction Manager pays a typical $99,400 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."
Plasterer salary questions
How much do plasterers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a plasterer is $95,700 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is plasterer pay rising or falling?
The median plasterer salary is up $20,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than plasterer?
Construction Manager pays a typical $99,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to plasterer.
Related salaries
- Concreter salary
- Carpenter salary
- Site Supervisor salary
- Construction Manager salary
- Tiler salary
- Builder's 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.