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Shipwright salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a shipwright is $80,600 per annum, before tax, up $17,200 since 2018.
Pay for shipwrights usually follows the Manufacturing and Associated Industries Award or a yard enterprise agreement, so overtime, shiftwork and project allowances often make up a fair share of what you take home. Commercial shipyard and refit work generally sits higher than smaller yards, and specialist composite or marine systems skills add to that. Where you live matters as well, because the work is concentrated in a handful of ports and river yards.
How to negotiate a higher shipwright salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time shipwright salary is $80,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Shipwrights are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Hand and power tool work and Reading plans and specifications tend to command a premium over general shipwright experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- 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."
Shipwright salary questions
How much do shipwrights earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a shipwright is $80,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is shipwright pay rising or falling?
The median shipwright salary is up $17,200 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.