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Shipwright salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a shipwright is $80,600 per annum, before tax, up $17,200 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay for shipwrights usually follows the Manufacturing and Associated Industries Award or a yard enterprise agreement, so overtime, shiftwork and project allowances often make up a fair share of what you take home.
- Commercial shipyard and refit work generally sits higher than smaller yards, and specialist composite or marine systems skills add to that.
- Where you live matters as well, because the work is concentrated in a handful of ports and river yards.
The median salary rose by $17,200 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.
How to negotiate a higher shipwright salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time shipwright salary is $80,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Shipwrights 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 shipwright experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- 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."
Shipwright salary questions
How much do shipwrights earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a shipwright is $80,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is shipwright pay rising or falling?
The median shipwright salary is up $17,200 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
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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.