Mining Salaries Australia 2026: Award Rates and Role Guide

Mining pays well, but “mining salary” is a broad term. A general labourer on their first swing earns very differently from a mining engineer with 15 years' experience. Location, commodity, roster type and whether you are FIFO or local all matter.

This guide starts with the one set of numbers that can be verified: the legal minimum pay rates in the Mining Industry Award (MA000011). It then shows how roles map to award levels, how shift and overtime loadings work, and what lifts pay above the award floor.

Award minimum rates (MA000011)

These are the Mining Industry Award 2020 minimum rates for adult full-time and part-time employees, effective from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. The Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide was published 24 June 2026. Weekly rates are for a 38-hour week and include the industry allowance ($41.41 per week / $1.09 per hour), which is paid for all purposes.

Weekly and hourly figures include the industry allowance. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading. Rates exclude other allowances, overtime and shift loadings. Apprentice and junior rates are set separately in the pay guide.

Source: Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide for MA000011. The Fair Work Commission's 2025-26 Annual Wage Review lifted modern award minimum rates by 4.75% from 1 July 2026, as reported by Coleman Greig. Rates change every year, so check the pay guide for the current figures before relying on them.

How much does a FIFO worker earn?

We cannot give a verified figure for FIFO worker earnings. Being FIFO does not change the award minimum. The legal floor for adult full-time and part-time work runs from $27.53 an hour ($1,046.31 a week) at Entry level to $37.62 an hour ($1,429.51 a week) at Level 7, including the industry allowance. What a FIFO worker is actually paid is set by the role, the classification level, the employer's enterprise agreement and the roster.

When you compare FIFO offers, check whether the figure is a base rate or an all-in rate, how overtime and shift loadings are treated, and what the employer provides for flights, accommodation and meals. For how rosters and camp life work, see what FIFO is and how it works.

Mining engineer salary

We have no verified mining engineer salary figure. Mining engineers are not mapped to a classification level in the award data on this page, and we could not access national occupation salary data at the time of writing, so we do not quote a number. Engineers are often employed under an enterprise agreement or individual contract, but we have not verified which instrument applies to a given role. Check recent advertisements for the employer, site and seniority you are targeting, and ask which agreement or contract sets the pay. The entry route is a degree in mining engineering, covered in how to get into mining.

Drillers offsider salary

On our reading of the award, a driller's offsider has a minimum of $27.53 to $29.67 per hour. That is Entry level to Level 2, or $1,046.31 to $1,127.61 a week for 38 hours, including the industry allowance. The mapping is an inference from the classification definitions, not an official one, and these are legal minimums rather than typical site pay. For comparison, the same reading puts a driller at Level 2 to Level 4 ($29.67 to $32.51 per hour). Contractors often pay above award through enterprise agreements, but we cannot verify a typical figure. See entry level mining jobs for how people start as offsiders.

Mining Roles and Award Levels

The award does not name most mining jobs. It groups work into classification groups and levels based on skills and responsibilities. The mapping below is MiningReady's reading of the classification definitions, not an official mapping. Your employer assesses your actual level from your competency and duties, so check your position description and contract.

The experience and qualification columns are general guides to how people usually enter each role, not requirements. Employers set their own. We do not show advertised salary ranges because we could not verify them.

Award hourly floor is the hourly rate including the industry allowance for the lowest and highest level in the reading. Group ranges are the full span of levels the award allows in that group. Leading hand allowances ($49.24 / $62.67 / $84.27 per week, depending on the number of employees supervised) are paid on top of the classification rate. Award minimums are not a promise of what any employer will pay.

What the award says about each group

• Services: Labouring, assisting work crews and tradespersons, plant/mobile plant operation, maintenance, stores/workshop/warehouse, drilling/exploration resource assessment, preparing and cleaning equipment, on-site catering, cleaning and security. Levels Entry to 2 only.
• Surface mining and haulage: Open cut mining incl. labouring, sampling, spotting; operating all mining plant and mobile plant; haul and load/discharge of ore (incl. rail); all drilling and blasting tasks. Levels Entry to 4.
• Processing: Operating and adjusting plant and control panels in production, processing, smelting and refining; issuing clearances and permits. Levels Entry to 4.
• Underground: Underground mining incl. labouring, sampling, drilling, blasting, ventilation, ground control, shaft; operating and maintaining underground plant. Levels Entry to 5.
• Maintenance trades: Trade-qualified; surface or underground. Levels 3 to 7.

What Lifts Pay Above the Award?

Two people with the same job title can earn very different amounts in mining. Here are the key factors:

1. Enterprise agreement

Most large mine sites pay under an enterprise agreement that must leave employees better off than the award. This is usually the biggest reason actual pay sits above the award floor. Ask which agreement covers the role and whether the quoted figure is base or all-in.

2. Location

Remote sites are harder to staff, so employers often pay more or add site allowances. The same role at a remote Pilbara iron ore mine and at a quarry near a major city can be advertised very differently. Compare current job ads for the specific site rather than relying on a state-wide figure.

3. Commodity

Wages tend to follow commodity cycles. When a commodity is booming, companies compete harder for workers. Iron ore, gold, lithium and coal sites have all been competitive employers in recent years, while quarrying and smaller operations vary a lot.

4. Roster Type

Longer swings generally mean more time worked and more overtime and penalty hours, which affects total earnings. Even-time rosters (like 7/7) are highly desirable and employers sometimes pay less for the better work-life balance. The award sets ordinary hours as average 38 hours per week (clause 12.1); averaging over up to 26 weeks.

5. Experience and tickets

Experience moves you up the award levels and up the employer pay scale. Verified operator hours, trade qualifications, driller and shotfirer licences, and supervisory competencies all matter.

6. FIFO vs Local

FIFO roles often pay more because of the lifestyle trade-off. However, locals living in mining towns like Kalgoorlie, Moranbah, or Emerald save on the cost of maintaining a second home in a capital city and enjoy a more normal family life. It's a trade-off. We break this down more in our FIFO guide.

FIFO and the Real Cost of Living

If you're willing to do FIFO work, you may be offered more than a locally-based worker in the same role, but we cannot give a verified percentage. The financial benefit of FIFO goes beyond the pay rate.

Typical Financial Benefits of FIFO

• Accommodation on site - Your donga, power, water, and internet are usually covered by the company.
• Food on site - Meals are usually provided at the mess, so most FIFO workers spend very little while on swing.
• Transport - Flights, airport transfers, and buses to the pit are usually employer-funded.
• Reduced daily living costs - You're not spending on fuel, coffee, lunches, or entertainment while on swing.

Confirm exactly what your employer provides before you accept an offer. Our salary and savings calculator lets you test these assumptions with example figures and compares them against the award minimum.

Mining Pay by State

The award minimum is the same in every state. Differences come from employers, sites and enterprise agreements. We cannot verify a state-by-state ranking, so these are descriptions of the main mining regions, not pay comparisons.

Shift, Overtime and Penalty Rates Under the Award

Many mining workers earn significantly more than their base rate through shift loadings, overtime and penalty rates. Under the award, ordinary hours are average 38 hours per week (clause 12.1); averaging over up to 26 weeks. Shiftworkers can work up to 10 consecutive ordinary hours incl. meal breaks, any day; by majority agreement up to 12 (clause 12.5).

Shift loadings and penalties

• Afternoon or night shift: 115% of ordinary hourly rate (clause 21.2).
• Permanent night shift: 130% (clause 21.2).
• Casual loading: 25% (clause 11.2(b)).

Worked example: Level 1 hourly rates

The pay guide shows these hourly rates for a Level 1 - Basic employee, including the industry allowance. The percentage is each rate as a share of the ordinary rate.

Enterprise agreements may set different overtime and penalty structures, and some pay a flat all-in rate that builds these in.

Allowances in the award

• Industry allowance (all purposes, already in pay guide rate): $41.41 per week / $1.09 per hour
• First aid - full-time: $22.38 per week
• Leading hand, 3-10 / 11-20 / 20+ employees (full-time): $49.24 / $62.67 / $84.27 per week
• Tool allowance - full-time: $17.86 per week
• Underground allowance (not underground miners): $2.06 per hour
• Meal allowance - overtime: $22.04 per occasion
• Licence allowance - electricians (all purposes): $1.34 per hour
• Rail allowance - locomotive drivers: 30% of minimum hourly rate

Important note: Not all mining roles are covered by the same enterprise agreement or award. Some companies pay an “all-in” flat rate that includes overtime and penalties built into the base figure. Others break it down separately. Always ask in your interview whether the quoted salary is base or all-in.

How to Maximise Your Mining Pay

Whether you're just breaking into mining or looking to boost your existing earnings, here are practical strategies:

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/Download/AwardSummary?awardCode=ma000011&fileType=pdfFWO pay guide MA000011, effective 01/07/2026, published 24/06/2026 (rates, casual rates, shift/overtime, allowances)
• https://awards.fairwork.gov.au/MA000011.htmlAward text clause 15.1 minimum rates (varied ppc 01Jul26 by PR799292), clause 12 hours, clause 18.2 allowances, clause 21 shift loadings, Schedule A classifications
• https://colemangreig.com.au/insights/publications/fair-work-commission-minimum-wage-increase-2026/4.75% increase and NMW $1,004.90 / $26.44 from 1 July 2026
• ATO: tax rates for Australian residentsPointer to current resident tax rates. No tax figures on this page are taken from it.

Minimum award only. Many mines pay well above under enterprise agreements; do not present award rates as typical site pay. Last verified 6 October 2026. Role-to-level mapping is MiningReady's reading of the award classification definitions, not an official mapping. No market or advertised salary ranges are shown because we could not verify them.