Home Sterilisation Technician Salary
Sterilisation Technician salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a sterilisation technician is $62,400 per annum, before tax, up $13,100 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay generally follows a hospital or health service enterprise agreement, so rates differ between public hospitals and private clinics doing the same work.
- Penalty rates matter here, because sterilising departments run early, evening and weekend shifts around operating lists, which lifts take-home pay above the base rate.
- Senior technician, team leader and quality roles are the main way the figure moves up.
The median salary rose by $13,100 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 sterilisation technician
The largest typical pay rise is $18,200 a year, moving into Operating Theatre Technician.
- Operating Theatre Technician+$18,200/yr
- Anaesthetic Technician+$18,200/yr
- Mortuary Technician+$8,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher sterilisation technician salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time sterilisation technician salary is $62,400; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Infection control and hygiene and Plant and equipment operation tend to command a premium over general sterilisation technician experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Operating Theatre Technician pays a typical $18,200 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."
Sterilisation Technician salary questions
How much do sterilisation technicians earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a sterilisation technician is $62,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is sterilisation technician pay rising or falling?
The median sterilisation technician salary is up $13,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than sterilisation technician?
Operating Theatre Technician pays a typical $18,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to sterilisation technician.
Related salaries
- Operating Theatre Technician salary
- Anaesthetic Technician salary
- Mortuary Technician salary
- Dialysis Technician salary
- Hospital Orderly salary
- Pathology Collector 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.