Home Tree Faller Salary
Tree Faller salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a tree faller is $77,000 per annum, before tax, up $15,900 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay depends on whether you are employed on wages or contracted by volume, and the rate reflects the size and species of the timber you cut.
- Remote and regional operations sometimes add travel or camp allowances, and work on construction or land clearing sites is structured differently from plantation forestry.
- Experience with larger trees and a consistent safety record is what moves a faller up the rates.
The median salary rose by $15,900 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 tree faller
The largest typical pay rise is $24,900 a year, moving into Truck Driver.
- Truck Driver+$24,900/yr
How to negotiate a higher tree faller salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time tree faller salary is $77,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Tree Fallers are on the skills shortage list for regional areas, 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 Hand and power tool work and Plant and equipment operation tend to command a premium over general tree faller experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Truck Driver pays a typical $24,900 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."
Tree Faller salary questions
How much do tree fallers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a tree faller is $77,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is tree faller pay rising or falling?
The median tree faller salary is up $15,900 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than tree faller?
Truck Driver pays a typical $24,900 a year more and draws on similar skills to tree faller.
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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.