Plant & Machinery Operators Salary Guide Australia 2026

Based on 619 job listings • No change this month

Median Salary (per year)
A$79,411
No change this month
25th Percentile (per year)
A$72,050
No change this month
75th Percentile (per year)
A$94,222
No change this month

The middle 50% of earners fall between A$72,050 and A$94,222 per year, a 28% spread around the median.

Salaries vary notably across Australia, with Darwin leading at A$92,400 per year while Hobart sits at A$74,800. Workfast, Fetch Recruitment and Randstad - Trades & Labour are among the top hirers for Plant & Machinery Operators, offering 41 roles combined.

See how Plant & Machinery Operators compares to other industries on the industry comparison page.

Salary Distribution

See how Plant & Machinery Operators salaries are distributed across different pay bands in Australia.

Under A$60,000
13 jobs (2%)
A$60,000 – A$80,000
301 jobs (49%)
A$80,000 – A$100,000
187 jobs (30%)
A$100,000 – A$120,000
77 jobs (12%)
A$120,000 – A$140,000
28 jobs (5%)
A$140,000 – A$160,000
9 jobs (1%)
A$160,000 – A$180,000
2 jobs (<1%)
A$180,000 – A$200,000
2 jobs (<1%)
A$200,000 – A$250,000
0 jobs (0%)
A$250,000+
0 jobs (0%)

Salaries by City

Compare Plant & Machinery Operators salaries across major cities in Australia.

Brisbane
Median: A$80,942 | Range: A$74,800 - A$96,140
224 jobs (36%)
Sydney
Median: A$80,080 | Range: A$70,400 - A$89,760
129 jobs (21%)
Perth
Median: A$88,000 | Range: A$74,800 - A$106,260
92 jobs (15%)
Melbourne
Median: A$75,390 | Range: A$68,614 - A$85,853
90 jobs (15%)
Adelaide
Median: A$77,330 | Range: A$70,789 - A$83,600
62 jobs (10%)
Canberra
Median: A$79,200 | Range: A$74,800 - A$91,525
11 jobs (2%)
Darwin
Median: A$92,400 | Range: A$83,600 - A$96,800
9 jobs (1%)
Hobart
Median: A$74,800 | Range: A$72,600 - A$77,000
2 jobs (<1%)

Employment Types

Breakdown of Plant & Machinery Operators positions by employment type.

Full-time
298 jobs (48%)
Casual
210 jobs (34%)
Contract
108 jobs (17%)
Part-time
3 jobs (<1%)

Related Salary Guides

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Top Employers

Companies hiring the most Plant & Machinery Operators professionals.

W
Workfast
16 open positions
F
Fetch Recruitment
13 open positions
R
Randstad - Trades & Labour
12 open positions
W
WorkPac - Mining Qld
12 open positions
E
Exact Contracting
8 open positions
N
Next Level Consulting Solutions
8 open positions
C
Complete Staff Solutions Pty Ltd
8 open positions
P
Protech Group
8 open positions
W
WorkPac - Brisbane
6 open positions
H
Heidelberg Materials
6 open positions
Z
Zoom Recruitment
6 open positions
J
JV Recruitment
5 open positions
C
Core Talent
5 open positions
A
Aston Advantage
5 open positions
A
Atom Resources
4 open positions
A
ARG Workforce
4 open positions
C
Connect People Pty Ltd
4 open positions
W
Western Work Force Pty Ltd
4 open positions
E
Elite Resource Australia
4 open positions
W
WorkPac - Newcastle
3 open positions

About this data

  • Based on 619 listings with advertised salaries.
  • Salaries normalised to annual equivalents.
  • Median represents the 50th percentile of advertised pay.
  • Data refreshed daily from active job listings.
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