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Smallgoods Maker salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a smallgoods maker is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,600 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay follows the food processing or meat industry award that covers the plant, so shift loadings, overtime and weekend work can move it well above the base rate.
- Larger processors and sites covered by an enterprise agreement generally pay more, and a Certificate III or a supervisory role lifts the rate again.
The median salary rose by $13,600 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 smallgoods maker
The largest typical pay rise is $20,600 a year, moving into Brewer.
- Brewer+$20,600/yr
- Butcher+$15,600/yr
- Meat Inspector+$12,000/yr
How to negotiate a higher smallgoods maker salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time smallgoods maker salary is $65,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Smallgoods 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 Food safety and hygiene and Food preparation and cooking tend to command a premium over general smallgoods maker experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Brewer pays a typical $20,600 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."
Smallgoods Maker salary questions
How much do smallgoods makers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a smallgoods maker is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is smallgoods maker pay rising or falling?
The median smallgoods maker salary is up $13,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than smallgoods maker?
Brewer pays a typical $20,600 a year more and draws on similar skills to smallgoods maker.
Related salaries
- Cheesemaker salary
- Butcher salary
- Brewer salary
- Meat Inspector salary
- Meat Process Worker salary
- Meat Boner and Slicer 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.