Home Television Equipment Operator Salary
Television Equipment Operator salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a television equipment operator is $88,400 per annum, before tax, up $18,400 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay depends heavily on whether you are a staff member of a network or a casual on a crew, with casual rates usually carrying loadings and penalty rates for nights, weekends and public holidays.
- Enterprise agreements set the bands at the ABC and the commercial networks, while freelance rates are negotiated per production or per day.
- Specialist skills, particularly vision mixing and RF or transmission work, tend to sit at the higher end.
The median salary rose by $18,400 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 television equipment operator
The largest typical pay rise is $14,300 a year, moving into Video Editor.
- Video Editor+$14,300/yr
- Camera Operator+$7,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher television equipment operator salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time television equipment operator salary is $88,400; 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 Plant and equipment operation and Operations management tend to command a premium over general television equipment operator experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Video Editor pays a typical $14,300 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."
Television Equipment Operator salary questions
How much do television equipment operators earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a television equipment operator is $88,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is television equipment operator pay rising or falling?
The median television equipment operator salary is up $18,400 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than television equipment operator?
Video Editor pays a typical $14,300 a year more and draws on similar skills to television equipment operator.
Related salaries
- Camera Operator salary
- Video Editor salary
- Broadcast Transmitter Operator salary
- Production Assistant salary
- Survey Interviewer salary
- Captioner 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.