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Powerline Worker salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a powerline worker is $142,000 per annum, before tax, up $29,700 since 2018.
- Pay is set mainly by enterprise agreements with the network operators and their contractors, so overtime, on-call allowances and emergency callouts add a lot on top of a base rate.
- Remote and regional placements, crew leader roles and specialist endorsements such as live-line work lift earnings further.
The median salary rose by $29,700 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 powerline worker
The largest typical pay rise is $53,100 a year, moving into Construction Manager.
- Construction Manager+$53,100/yr
How to negotiate a higher powerline worker salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time powerline worker salary is $142,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Powerline Workers 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 powerline worker experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Construction Manager pays a typical $53,100 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."
Powerline Worker salary questions
How much do powerline workers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a powerline worker is $142,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is powerline worker pay rising or falling?
The median powerline worker salary is up $29,700 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than powerline worker?
Construction Manager pays a typical $53,100 a year more and draws on similar skills to powerline worker.
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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.