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Executive Assistant salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an executive assistant is $95,300 per annum, before tax, up $20,100 since 2018.
What you are paid depends heavily on who you support and where. An assistant to a chief executive in a large firm or a government department sits well above someone supporting a single manager in a small business, and public sector classification levels set pay more rigidly than the private market does. Managing a team of administrative staff, or holding a formal qualification in business, can move you into a higher band again.
Roles that pay more than executive assistant
The largest typical pay rise is $19,400 a year, moving into Customer Experience Manager.
- Customer Experience Manager+$19,400/yr
- Project Coordinator+$15,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher executive assistant salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time executive assistant salary is $95,300; 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 Project management and Data analysis tend to command a premium over general executive assistant experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Customer Experience Manager pays a typical $19,400 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."
Executive Assistant salary questions
How much do executive assistants earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an executive assistant is $95,300 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is executive assistant pay rising or falling?
The median executive assistant salary is up $20,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than executive assistant?
Customer Experience Manager pays a typical $19,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to executive assistant.