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Plumber's Assistant salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a plumber's assistant is $52,000 per annum, before tax, up $10,700 since 2018.
Pay for plumber's assistants usually follows the Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award or a site enterprise agreement, and rates are lowest while you are still learning the basics. Junior rates apply to workers under 21, and emergency callouts after hours normally attract penalty rates. Once you begin an apprenticeship, pay moves onto the apprentice scale for your year and rises each year you progress.
Roles that pay more than plumber's assistant
The largest typical pay rise is $51,500 a year, moving into Plumber.
- Plumber+$51,500/yr
- Pipelayer+$26,000/yr
- Home Improvement Installer+$15,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher plumber's assistant salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time plumber's assistant salary is $52,000; 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 Hand and power tool work and Installation and maintenance tend to command a premium over general plumber's assistant experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Plumber pays a typical $51,500 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."
Plumber's Assistant salary questions
How much do plumber's assistants earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a plumber's assistant is $52,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is plumber's assistant pay rising or falling?
The median plumber's assistant salary is up $10,700 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than plumber's assistant?
Plumber pays a typical $51,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to plumber's assistant.