Home Precision Instrument Maker Salary
Precision Instrument Maker salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a precision instrument maker is $78,000 per annum, before tax, up $16,300 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay moves with the sector and with the certification behind you: calibration laboratories, medical device makers and defence contractors usually pay more than general manufacturing, and a recognised calibration qualification or a restricted electrical licence can lift your rate.
- Overtime and on-call allowances for breakdown work add to the base in larger plants.
The median salary rose by $16,300 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 precision instrument maker
The largest typical pay rise is $15,600 a year, moving into Mechanical Engineering Technician.
- Mechanical Engineering Technician+$15,600/yr
- Electrical Engineering Technician+$13,500/yr
- Fitter+$13,000/yr
How to negotiate a higher precision instrument maker salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time precision instrument maker salary is $78,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Precision Instrument Makers 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 Installation and maintenance and Fabrication and finishing tend to command a premium over general precision instrument maker experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Mechanical Engineering Technician pays a typical $15,600 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."
Precision Instrument Maker salary questions
How much do precision instrument makers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a precision instrument maker is $78,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is precision instrument maker pay rising or falling?
The median precision instrument maker salary is up $16,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than precision instrument maker?
Mechanical Engineering Technician pays a typical $15,600 a year more and draws on similar skills to precision instrument maker.
Related salaries
- Toolmaker salary
- Mechanical Engineering Technician salary
- Fitter and Turner salary
- Fitter salary
- Electrical Engineering Technician salary
- Metal Trades Assistant 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.