Home Surveying Technician Salary
Surveying Technician salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a surveying technician is $87,400 per annum, before tax, up $18,500 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Where you work moves pay more than anything else: mining and remote construction sites carry site and FIFO allowances on top of base rates, while council and government roles tend to sit closer to the middle of the range.
- Enterprise agreements in construction set rates and penalty conditions for many technicians, and qualifications plus site experience move you up the scale inside a firm.
- A specialist field such as mine or hydrographic surveying pays more once you have the additional qualification those roles require.
The median salary rose by $18,500 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 surveying technician
The largest typical pay rise is $37,400 a year, moving into Mine Surveyor.
- Mine Surveyor+$37,400/yr
- Surveyor+$32,200/yr
- Hydrographic Surveyor+$21,800/yr
How to negotiate a higher surveying technician salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time surveying technician salary is $87,400; 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 Surveying and geospatial work and CAD and technical drawing tend to command a premium over general surveying technician experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Mine Surveyor pays a typical $37,400 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."
Surveying Technician salary questions
How much do surveying technicians earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a surveying technician is $87,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is surveying technician pay rising or falling?
The median surveying technician salary is up $18,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than surveying technician?
Mine Surveyor pays a typical $37,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to surveying technician.
Related salaries
- Surveyor salary
- Cartographer salary
- Mine Surveyor salary
- Hydrographic Surveyor salary
- GIS Analyst salary
- Survey Assistant 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.