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Work Health and Safety Officer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a work health and safety officer is $118,800 per annum, before tax, up $24,800 since 2018.
- The sector and the size of the employer move pay more than anything else: construction, mining and heavy industry generally sit above health care, community services and local government.
- A diploma or degree level qualification, responsibility across several sites, and an enterprise agreement in a larger organisation all lift the figure.
- Roles that involve regular travel or fly-in fly-out arrangements usually carry allowances on top of the base rate.
The median salary rose by $24,800 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 work health and safety officer
The largest typical pay rise is $25,100 a year, moving into Human Resources Manager.
- Human Resources Manager+$25,100/yr
- Work Health and Safety Inspector+$5,100/yr
How to negotiate a higher work health and safety officer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time work health and safety officer salary is $118,800; 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 Risk assessment and Regulatory compliance tend to command a premium over general work health and safety officer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Human Resources Manager pays a typical $25,100 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."
Work Health and Safety Officer salary questions
How much do work health and safety officers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a work health and safety officer is $118,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is work health and safety officer pay rising or falling?
The median work health and safety officer salary is up $24,800 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than work health and safety officer?
Human Resources Manager pays a typical $25,100 a year more and draws on similar skills to work health and safety officer.
Related salaries
- Work Health and Safety Inspector salary
- Environment, Health and Safety Manager salary
- Safety Consultant salary
- Human Resources Manager salary
- Occupational Hygienist salary
- Injury Management Coordinator 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.