Anthony Albanese salary: Where does the Prime Minister sit against the national line?
When you search for “anthony albanese salary”, you are likely looking for a single number. The short answer is that the precise figure is not published in the sources we rely on here – the ABS, Fair Work, and the ATO. The Prime Minister’s pay is set by the Remuneration Tribunal, a separate body that determines salaries for federal office-holders. It is not tied to an award or to the national average weekly earnings, and it is well above the line we use on this site.
But the question opens a wider one: why does any salary move off the national full-time average? The answer lies in state differences, sector differences, award coverage, and the way the average itself is calculated.
The national line: $2,083.70 per week
The Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes Average Weekly Earnings twice a year, for May and November. The May 2026 release put full-time adult ordinary-time earnings at $2,083.70 per week, seasonally adjusted. That works out to about $108,352 a year on a 38-hour week. This is the line we use on this site – the benchmark against which you can place a salary on the line.
But that number is an average. It hides a lot of variation. For example, men’s full-time ordinary-time earnings averaged $2,181.00 per week (about $113,412 a year), while women’s averaged $1,934.50 per week (about $100,594 a year). The gender pay gap in average weekly ordinary full-time earnings fell to a record low of 11.3 per cent in May 2026, but it remains.
State and territory differences
Where you work matters. The ABS publishes state-by-state full-time ordinary-time earnings. Using the original (not seasonally adjusted) figures from May 2026, and multiplying by 52, we get:
- New South Wales: $2,108.80 per week, about $109,658 a year
- Victoria: $2,041.10 per week, about $106,137 a year
- Queensland: $2,039.70 per week, about $106,064 a year
- South Australia: $1,970.20 per week, about $102,450 a year
- Western Australia: $2,227.40 per week, about $115,825 a year
- Tasmania: $1,846.30 per week, about $96,008 a year
- Northern Territory: $1,984.10 per week, about $103,173 a year
- Australian Capital Territory: $2,290.20 per week, about $119,090 a year
These are averages, not medians. The ACT and Western Australia sit well above the national line, while Tasmania and South Australia sit below. The mix of industries, public sector employment, and the types of jobs available all push these numbers around. You can explore more in our states and territories page.
Public versus private sector
The sector you work in also shifts the figure. In May 2026, the public sector full-time adult ordinary-time earnings averaged $2,263.10 per week (about $117,681 a year), while the private sector averaged $2,034.10 per week (about $105,773 a year). The public sector includes federal, state, and local government employees, many of whom are covered by collective agreements or enterprise bargains. The private sector is more diverse, with a mix of award-covered employees, individual arrangements, and collective agreements.
Award coverage and the minimum wage
Awards set minimum pay rates for specific industries and occupations. From 1 July 2026, the national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week, or about $52,255 a year on a 38-hour week. Award minimums rose by 4.75 per cent from that date. But many employees earn above the award rate. The ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey (reference period August 2025) found that the median weekly earnings for all employees was $1,436.00, or about $74,672 a year. For full-time employees, the median was about $1,674.00 per week, or $87,048 a year – well below the average of $2,083.70. That gap between median and average tells you that higher earners pull the average up.
How the average is calculated
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey measures the level of average earnings at a point in time. Movements can be affected by changes in earnings per employee and by changes in the composition of the workforce. For example, if more high-paid managers are hired, the average rises even if no one gets a raise. That is why the ABS also publishes the Wage Price Index, which measures pure price change. But for a snapshot of what people actually earn, AWE is the best source.
What about the Prime Minister?
The Prime Minister’s salary is not set by an award or by the market. It is determined by the Remuneration Tribunal, which reviews base salaries for federal politicians, judges, and other office-holders. The figure is publicly available from the Tribunal, but it is not part of the ABS or Fair Work data we use. What we can say is that it is well above the national full-time average. For context, the top marginal tax rate (45 per cent plus 2 per cent Medicare levy) kicks in at $190,000 for 2026–27, and the 37 per cent rate applies from $135,000 to $190,000. The Prime Minister’s salary sits in that top bracket.
Why this matters for your own salary
If you are comparing your pay to the national line, remember that the line is an average. Your state, your industry, your occupation, and whether you are in the public or private sector all matter. You can see how your job compares using our job medians or industry medians pages. And if you want to understand how the figures are set, our data page explains the methodology.
The bottom line
The national full-time average is a useful benchmark, but it is not a target. The Prime Minister’s salary is a reminder that some salaries are set by entirely different processes. For most workers, the relevant comparison is the award rate for their job, the median for their occupation, or the average for their state. Use this site to place a salary on the line and see where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
We have included three common questions above. For more, see our guides or about this site.