In Australia, published freelance rates for are A$1,197.82 a day.
Pay rates for journalists in Australia, as published by unions, governments and surveys, each quoted as printed and turned into a day's pay to compare. How the pay guide works →
Each published rate as a day's pay
US$ a day at the ECB rate for the month. A month is 12 payments over 260 working days, or 13 or 14 where the agreement says so; a year is 260 days; a shift counts as a day.
| Type of work | What | As printed | US$ a day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On staff | Level 1, minimum weekly rate (full-time) | A$1,221.10 a week | $170.01 | FWC · Award · 1 Jul 2026 |
| On staff | Level 1, minimum hourly rate | A$32.13 an hour | $178.94 | FWC · Award · 1 Jul 2026 |
| On staff | Level 7, minimum weekly rate (full-time) | A$1,513.70 a week | $210.75 | FWC · Award · 1 Jul 2026 |
| On staff | Median weekly earnings, full-time, before tax | A$1,722 a week | $239.75 | JSA · Official statistics · 1 May 2025 |
| On staff | Journalist Grade 8, minimum weekly rate (full-time) | A$1,848 a week | $257.30 | FWC · Award · 1 Jul 2026 |
| On staff | Journalist Grade 8, minimum hourly rate | A$48.63 an hour | $270.83 | FWC · Award · 1 Jul 2026 |
| On staff | Level 13, minimum weekly rate (full-time) | A$2,322.60 a week | $323.38 | FWC · Award · 1 Jul 2026 |
| On staff | Level 13, minimum hourly rate | A$61.12 an hour | $340.39 | FWC · Award · 1 Jul 2026 |
| Freelance | Per day | A$1,197.82 a day | $833.87 | MEAA · Recommended rates · 1 Jan 2026 |
| Freelance | Per half day | A$798.18 a half day | $1,111.32 | MEAA · Recommended rates · 1 Jan 2026 |
| Freelance | Per hour | A$300.02 an hour | $1,670.90 | MEAA · Recommended rates · 1 Jan 2026 |
Advertised pay in Australia
Open marketWhat employers offered in public job ads over the last 12 months, from 71 job ads with pay. These figures come from the open job market, not from journalist.net, and we do not check them.
Journalism in Australia
Leading news outlets
The highest-ranked news sites based in Australia in EventRegistry's news-source ranking, most important first. Updated monthly.
In the 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Australia ranks 33 of 180, with a score of 74.6 out of 100. Down 4 places on the year before.
RSF World Press Freedom Index ↗By job type
Rates documents 13
Unions and bodies in Australia
About this data. These rates are compiled from publicly available sources and quoted as printed, with their date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any figure. For information only: Journalist.net does not recommend or set rates. How we count