Public Relations Officer
Public relations officers manage how an organisation is seen by the media, the public and the people who matter to it, and step in to protect that reputation when something goes wrong.
- Median salary
- $106,400
4.3%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 32,300
2.2%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +21.2%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 42/wk
+2h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Public relations officers write releases and statements, handle media enquiries and plan campaigns that shape how an organisation is understood by journalists, the public and other stakeholders. They work in government departments, large companies, non-profits and agencies, and the job mixes scheduled campaign work with the unplanned demands of a difficult story. It's often confused with marketing, but PR works mainly through earned media and relationships with journalists rather than paid advertising.
How much do public relations officers earn?
The median full-time salary for a public relations officer is $106,400 per annum, before tax, up $22,400 since 2018.
Where you work matters as much as what you do: government departments and large corporates generally pay more than non-profits, while agency roles can move faster in title but demand longer hours. Seniority carries more weight than years served, since a media adviser and a communications manager can sit on quite different bands. Public sector roles follow enterprise agreements that set increments by classification, and on-call or crisis duties sometimes attract loadings.
What does a public relations officer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Drafting press releases, statements and talking points that survive legal and executive sign-off
- Building relationships with journalists so a pitch actually gets picked up
- Dropping planned work to manage a crisis or an unexpected media enquiry
- Briefing spokespeople and coordinating interviews and media appearances
- Tracking coverage and public sentiment in tools like Meltwater to judge whether a campaign landed
What skills do public relations officers need?
Employers look for strategy development, content creation and writing, backed by Hootsuite fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Strategy development
- Content creation and writing
Software and tools
- Hootsuite
- Meltwater
- Microsoft Office
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Canva
General skills
- Written communication
- Stakeholder management
- Presenting and data storytelling
- Client relationships and advisory
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
Is the job growing?
About 32,300 people work as public relations officers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 21.2% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a public relations officer?
Here's the path most public relations officers take, step by step.
- 1Study public relations, communications or journalism
A bachelor degree is the standard entry point, and about 55% of the people doing this work hold one. Some employers accept a diploma plus relevant experience, particularly for junior roles.
- 2Build a portfolio through placements and student media
Most degrees include an industry placement, and campus newspapers, community radio or volunteer communications work give you published clippings to show at interviews. Paid cadetships with government departments and large agencies are another way in.
- 3Apply for assistant or coordinator roles
Most people start as a public relations assistant, communications officer or media adviser, doing media monitoring, first drafts and learning how sign-off works. Public service graduate programs and large agencies recruit on a yearly cycle, so applications close well before the start date.
- 4Join a professional body and keep developing
Industry bodies for communications practitioners offer training, accreditation options and a network of people working across government, agencies and industry, which is useful when you are looking for your next move.
Ready to apply as a public relations officer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a public relations officer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a public relations officer move to?
Moving into Policy and Planning Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $46,700 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy and Planning Manager Policy and planning management builds on stakeholder and issues skills, with further study needed to step into a policy leadership role.Known move | +$46,700 | 32% | reskill |
| Communications Manager Public relations officers already manage reputation and media relationships, so stepping up to lead communications only needs a short course.Known move | +$32,800 | 56% | short course |
| Marketing Manager Broad marketing management builds on campaign and audience skills, though moving into it calls for further study in marketing strategy.Known move | +$32,800 | 25% | reskill |
| Digital Marketing Specialist Public relations officers with content and social media experience can reskill into digital marketing, where campaign skills carry across to online channels.Known move | −$4,600 | 25% | reskill |
| Liaison Officer Liaison roles use the same stakeholder and community engagement skills, although a substantial course is needed to move into government liaison work. | −$11,800 | 21% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a public relations officer?
The typical public relations officer is 39 years old; 70% are women, 74% work full-time, and full-timers average 42 hours a week.
- 39
- Median age
- 70%
- Female share
- 74%
- Full-time
- +2h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a public relations officer?
The work runs on deadlines other people set: a launch date, a journalist's filing time, a minister's schedule. Most weeks mix planned campaign work with whatever lands in the inbox, and the ability to write quickly and stay calm on the phone counts for more than any single qualification. Officers who enjoy it tend to like the variety and the early sight of how decisions get made, and to be comfortable with credit going to the organisation rather than to them.
What people like
- The work moves with the news. A story breaking overnight can reorder the whole day, which suits people who would rather not do the same thing at the same time each week.
- You see decisions before the public does. Drafting an announcement or briefing a spokesperson puts you in the room, or close to it, when an organisation works out what it is going to say.
- Writing that gets read. A placement in a paper, a clear statement in a hard week or a campaign that shifts coverage is a visible result of your work.
- The skills travel. Writing, media judgement and stakeholder relationships carry across government, health, technology and non-profits, so you are not tied to one industry.
What people find hard
- The urgent always wins. Campaign plans and longer projects get pushed aside when a journalist calls or an issue flares, so work you have prepared can sit untouched for days.
- You deliver unwelcome news. Some days are spent telling a manager that a story is running anyway, or explaining to a journalist why the organisation cannot comment.
- Credit goes elsewhere. Executives and spokespeople take the airtime and the quotes, while the officer who prepared them stays behind the scenes.
- Monitoring follows you home. Media enquiries and crises do not wait for business hours, and checking coverage over a weekend is common in agency and government roles.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ public relations officers?
Public Administration and Safety employs the largest share of public relations officers, followed by Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Public Administration and Safety
- 2Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 3Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 55.2% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 19.5% | |
| Year 12 or below | 11.6% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 7.5% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 4% |
Will AI replace public relations officers?
AI and automation reach into parts of this job but not all of it, which is why the role carries a moderate rating. Monitoring platforms already scan coverage and sentiment, and generative tools can draft a release or a set of social posts quickly. The judgement about what an organisation should say, and the relationships that get it heard, remain human work.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Media relationships and pitchingKnowing which journalist covers your sector and what they have written lately is what gets a story up, and no automated list builds that kind of trust.30%low
- Drafting releases, statements and social postsGenerative tools turn out a usable first draft and several variations in minutes, but an officer still checks facts, tone and legal risk before anything leaves the building.25%moderate
- Issues and crisis managementDeciding what to say, when and to whom during a live problem means weighing consequences for real people, which is not a call a tool can make.25%low
- Media monitoring and coverage reportingTools like Meltwater already collect mentions, reach and sentiment, so the officer's time goes into interpreting what the numbers mean for the campaign rather than compiling them.20%high
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from public relations officer work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Liaison Officer
Some skill overlap (21%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a public relations officer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do public relations officers earn?
Public relations officers earn a median of $106,400 per year before tax. Agency and corporate roles tend to pay above non-profit and some government roles, and pay rises with seniority rather than years served. Treat the figure as a guide rather than a starting salary, since first-year roles often sit well below it.
How do you become a public relations officer?
Most people complete a bachelor degree in public relations, communications or journalism, then start as an assistant, communications officer or media adviser. A placement or cadetship matters, because employers want to see published work and some evidence you can handle a journalist. Experience in a newsroom, a member of parliament's office or a busy volunteer organisation can substitute for part of that.
Are public relations officers in demand?
Public relations officers are currently not in shortage. Employment is projected to grow 21.2% over the decade to 2035. The projection covers the decade to 2035, so treat it as a sense of the field's direction rather than a forecast of hiring in any one year.
Will AI replace public relations officers?
AI is changing parts of the job rather than replacing it, and the role carries moderate exposure. Monitoring tools already collect coverage and sentiment, and generative tools can produce a usable first draft of a release or social post. What stays with people is knowing which journalist to call, what the organisation should say and when saying nothing is the better option.
What can public relations officers move into?
Public relations officers often step up to communications manager, which pays $32,800 more and builds on the media and reputation work they already do. Digital marketing is another route, paying $4,600 less, though it calls for campaign and analytics skills that PR only partly covers. Some experienced officers set up their own consultancy or agency, which is often where earnings grow.
What is the difference between public relations and marketing?
Marketing usually pays for attention through advertising, while public relations earns it by convincing journalists, stakeholders and the public to take an interest. The two overlap on campaigns, content and social media, but a PR officer is judged on coverage, reputation and relationships rather than sales or leads.
Related roles
- Communications Manager
- Digital Marketing Specialist
- Marketing Manager
- Liaison Officer
- Policy and Planning Manager
- Journalist
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