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Survey Assistant salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a survey assistant is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,500 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Survey assistants are usually covered by an award or enterprise agreement, and the base rate varies most with the sector: mining and civil construction pay more than a small boundary surveying firm.
- Site allowances, overtime and living-away-from-home payments can add substantially on remote projects, and labour-hire or casual work often carries a loading.
- Pay tends to step up as you gain competencies and take on more of the measuring yourself.
The median salary rose by $13,500 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 survey assistant
The largest typical pay rise is $59,800 a year, moving into Mine Surveyor.
- Mine Surveyor+$59,800/yr
- Surveyor+$54,600/yr
- Underground Services Locator+$28,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher survey assistant salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time survey assistant salary is $65,000; 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 Surveying and geospatial work and Field inspection and testing tend to command a premium over general survey assistant experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Mine Surveyor pays a typical $59,800 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."
Survey Assistant salary questions
How much do survey assistants earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a survey assistant is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is survey assistant pay rising or falling?
The median survey assistant salary is up $13,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than survey assistant?
Mine Surveyor pays a typical $59,800 a year more and draws on similar skills to survey assistant.
Related salaries
- Surveying Technician salary
- Surveyor salary
- Underground Services Locator salary
- Mine Surveyor salary
- Builder's Labourer salary
- Telecommunications Technologist 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.