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Power Plant Operator Average Salary in Australia 2024

How much money does a person working as Power Plant Operator make in Australia?


Average Yearly Salary
72,800 AUD
( 6,060 AUD monthly)

LOW
36,400
AUD
AVERAGE
72,800
AUD
HIGH
113,000
AUD
All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working as Power Plant Operator in Australia typically earns around 72,800 AUD. Salaries range from 36,400 AUD (lowest) to 113,000 AUD (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Power Plant Operator salaries in Australia vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.



Power Plant Operator Pay Scale and Salaries in Australia

Median and salary distribution Australia Power Plant Operator yearly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
66,900 AUD or more
10% of people earn
59,300 to 66,900 AUD
20% of people earn
42,500 AUD or less
65% of people earn
42,500 to 59,300 AUD
Minimum Salary
36,400 AUD
Median
67,300 AUD
Maximum
113,000 AUD




Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries for the position Power Plant Operator in Australia range from 36,400 AUD (starting salary) to 113,000 AUD (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

  • Median Salary

    With a median salary of 67,300 AUD, half of the professionals who work as Power Plant Operator in Australia earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Power Plant Operator in Australia earn less than 55,300 AUD, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 76,800 AUD while 25% earn more.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Power Plant Operator in Australia compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 42,500 AUD to 59,300 AUD. About 20% of salaries are below the 42,500 AUD mark, while 10% fall within the range of 59,300 AUD to 66,900 AUD. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 66,900 AUD.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Power Plant Operator / Australia

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
43,600 AUD
2 - 5 Years+32%
57,800 AUD
5 - 10 Years+34%
77,300 AUD
10 - 15 Years+19%
92,100 AUD
15 - 20 Years+8%
99,400 AUD
20+ Years+7%
107,000 AUD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience yearly Australia Power Plant Operator
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The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Power Plant Operator and this is what we found.


All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 43,600 AUD.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 57,800 AUD, 32% more than someone with less than two year's experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 77,300 AUD, 34% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 92,100 AUD, 19% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 99,400 AUD, 8% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 107,000 AUD, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark.
* Based on the average change in salary over time. Salary variations differ from person to person.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Experience Level
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Salary Comparison By Education / Power Plant Operator / Australia

How do education levels affect salaries?

Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Power Plant Operator.

High School
57,800 AUD
Certificate or Diploma+40%
80,700 AUD
Bachelor's Degree+25%
101,000 AUD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level yearly Australia Power Plant Operator
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We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Power Plant Operator in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: High School

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 57,800 AUD.


Level 2: Certificate or Diploma

At this level, the average salary becomes 80,700 AUD, 40% more than the previous level.


Level 3: Bachelor's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 101,000 AUD, 25% more than the previous level.



Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Power Plant Operator / Australia

Salary comparison by gender Australia Power Plant Operator yearly
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Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Power Plant Operator in Australia, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 4%.

Male
74,300 AUD
Female-4%
71,100 AUD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Comparison By Gender in Australia for all Careers

Salary comparison by gender yearly Australia
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Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Power Plant Operator / Australia

How much are annual salary increments in Australia for individuals working as Power Plant Operator? How often do employees get salary raises?

Individuals working as Power Plant Operator in Australia are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 11% every 15 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate Australia Power Plant Operator
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The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.

Australia / All Professions

Annual Salary Increment Rate Australia
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The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency

The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in Australia is 6%.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

World Average Annual Salary Increment
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Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.



Bonus and Incentive Rates / Power Plant Operator / Australia

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate Australia Power Plant Operator
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44% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 56% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
56%
No Bonus
44%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.

Goal-Based Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.


What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

The main two types of jobs

Revenue GeneratorsSupporting Cast

Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business.

Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations.

Example:
A graphics designer working for a graphics designing company.

Example:
A graphic designer in the marketing department of a hospital.


Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.

Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.

Average Hourly Wage / Power Plant Operator / Australia


35 AUD per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Power Plant Operator in Australia is 35 AUD.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.


Hourly Wage = Annual Salary / ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

About The Hourly Pay Rate

The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Power Plant Operator in Australia is 17 AUD. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Job TitleAverage Salary
Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining-100%
Assistant Yard Manager80,600 AUD+11%
Associate Analyst95,000 AUD+31%
Associate Landman39,900 AUD-45%
Auxiliary Equipment Operator34,100 AUD-53%
Biomass Plant Technician44,000 AUD-40%
Biomass Power Plant Manager115,000 AUD+58%
Carbon Capture and Storage Specialist88,200 AUD+21%
Chemical Plant Operator71,000 AUD-2%
Chief Contract Compliance Engineer85,900 AUD+18%
Chief Renewable Energy Officer153,000 AUD+110%
Chief Sustainability Officer141,000 AUD+94%
Completions Engineer78,100 AUD+7%
Cost Controller62,700 AUD-14%
Cost Engineer85,600 AUD+18%
Crude Oil Marketing Representative95,500 AUD+31%
Deep-sea Mining Engineer98,600 AUD+36%
Dispatcher35,700 AUD-51%
Distribution Manager118,000 AUD+62%
Dragline Operator40,100 AUD-45%
Driller Offsider30,700 AUD-58%
Dump Truck Driver33,400 AUD-54%
Electric and Gas Operations Manager195,000 AUD+170%
Energy Advisor132,000 AUD+81%
Energy Analyst126,000 AUD+73%
Energy Auditor113,000 AUD+55%
Energy Dispatch Director149,000 AUD+100%
Energy Efficiency Auditor91,500 AUD+26%
Energy Efficiency Consultant109,000 AUD+50%
Energy Modeler88,000 AUD+21%
Energy Policy Analyst83,400 AUD+15%
Energy Storage Engineer87,200 AUD+20%
Energy Technical Assistant53,800 AUD-26%
Energy Technical Manager103,000 AUD+42%
Energy Technical Support Manager102,000 AUD+40%
Energy Technical Trainer72,700 AUD-0%
Engineering Geologist148,000 AUD+100%
Exploration Manager153,000 AUD+110%
Field Safety Auditor98,300 AUD+35%
Fluids Engineer82,000 AUD+13%
Fuel Cell Engineer87,600 AUD+20%
Fuel Cell Technician42,300 AUD-42%
Fuels Handler41,400 AUD-43%
Gas Compressor Operator36,000 AUD-51%
Gas Distribution Plant Operator67,600 AUD-7%
Gas Supply Manager137,000 AUD+88%
Geologist148,000 AUD+100%
Geophysicist162,000 AUD+120%
Geothermal Engineer97,900 AUD+35%
Geothermal Production Manager150,000 AUD+110%
Geothermal Technician62,300 AUD-14%
HSE Engineer89,400 AUD+23%
HSE Officer55,000 AUD-24%
HSE Supervisor62,200 AUD-15%
HSEQ Administrator58,700 AUD-19%
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Engineer99,500 AUD+37%
Inspector80,800 AUD+11%
Instructor72,100 AUD-1%
Instrument Designer70,700 AUD-3%
Lead Technical Field Advisor113,000 AUD+55%
Lithium Ion Battery Engineer80,400 AUD+11%
Logistics and Tool Coordinator73,800 AUD+1%
Maintenance Engineer86,200 AUD+18%
Maintenance Superintendent80,900 AUD+11%
Material Controller60,000 AUD-18%
Methane Detection and Mitigation Specialist78,900 AUD+8%
Mine Engineer80,800 AUD+11%
Mine Surveyor98,100 AUD+35%
Mining Project Administrator74,900 AUD+3%
Mining Project Assistant62,000 AUD-15%
Mining Project Controls Consultant99,300 AUD+36%
Mining Project Coordinator77,200 AUD+6%
Mining Project Engineer80,600 AUD+11%
Mining Project Manager111,000 AUD+53%
Mining Site Manager109,000 AUD+50%
Mining Team Leader95,200 AUD+31%
Natural Gas Engineer93,700 AUD+29%
NDT Technician50,200 AUD-31%
Net Zero Energy Consultant120,000 AUD+65%
Oil Service Unit Operator45,700 AUD-37%
Oil Trader113,000 AUD+55%
Oilwell Pumper31,800 AUD-56%
Petroleum Engineer 93,800 AUD+29%
Petroleum Geologist154,000 AUD+110%
Petroleum Pump System Operator49,700 AUD-32%
Petroleum Technician53,400 AUD-27%
Photovoltaic Engineer96,600 AUD+33%
Pipeline Technician33,400 AUD-54%
Power Coordinator51,700 AUD-29%
Power Plant Operations Manager173,000 AUD+140%
Power Plant Operator72,800 AUD+0%
Radio Operator38,500 AUD-47%
Reliability Engineer83,900 AUD+15%
Renewable Energy Consultant136,000 AUD+87%
Renewable Energy Engineer93,600 AUD+29%
Renewable Energy Policy Analyst97,600 AUD+34%
Reservoir Engineer82,200 AUD+13%
Risk Analyst103,000 AUD+42%
Roughneck90,800 AUD+25%
Scaffolder54,600 AUD-25%
Shutdown Engineer71,000 AUD-2%
Smart Grid Analyst96,800 AUD+33%
Smart Grid Engineer99,500 AUD+37%
Solar Energy Installation Manager120,000 AUD+65%
Solar Energy Systems Engineer85,700 AUD+18%
Solar Photovoltaic Installer54,800 AUD-25%
Solar Thermal Technician52,800 AUD-27%
Supply Operations Manager146,000 AUD+100%
Sustainability Analyst111,000 AUD+53%
Sustainability Architect115,000 AUD+58%
Sustainability Specialist134,000 AUD+84%
Sustainable Energy Consultant118,000 AUD+62%
System Development Advisor95,400 AUD+31%
Tanker Truck Driver33,900 AUD-53%
Unconventional Oil and Gas Engineer91,900 AUD+26%
Utility Operator44,200 AUD-39%
Waste-to-Energy Specialist111,000 AUD+53%
Wind Energy Project Manager115,000 AUD+58%
Wind Farm Technician58,200 AUD-20%
Wind Turbine Technician68,600 AUD-6%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Melbourne72,900 AUD
Sydney74,300 AUD

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Australia is 5% on average across all career fields.

Private Sector
89,000 AUD
Public Sector+5%
93,400 AUD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Power Plant Operator in Australia?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 67,300 AUD and 76,800 AUD. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Power Plant Operator in Australia ranges from 36,400 AUD to 55,300 AUD. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.


What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary


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