Where does a security technician salary sit against the national full-time average?
If you are looking for a single published figure for a security technician salary in Australia, the short answer is that the Australian Bureau of Statistics does not report a specific average or median for that occupation title. The closest official data comes from the Security Services Industry Award 2020, which sets minimum pay rates for security officers at various levels. This article explains what the award says, how it compares to the national full-time average, and what other benchmarks might help you gauge typical earnings.
What the ABS tells us about earnings
The ABS publishes two key measures of earnings. The first is Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) for full-time adult employees, which for May 2026 stood at $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year when multiplied by 52 weeks. This is the figure this site uses as the national full-time average line. The second is the Employee Earnings and Hours survey, which gives medians. For August 2025, the median weekly earnings for all employees was $1,436 ($74,672 per year), and for full-time employees it was about $1,741 per week ($90,532 per year). These medians are lower than the average because high earners pull the average up.
Neither survey breaks out "security technician" as a separate category. The occupation classifications used by the ABS group security-related roles under "Protective Service Workers" or "Security Officers and Guards", but those categories may not include technicians who install or maintain electronic security systems. As a result, there is no official average or median salary for security technicians.
The Security Services Industry Award as a benchmark
The Security Services Industry Award 2020 (MA000016) covers employees engaged in security guarding, patrolling, monitoring, and related activities. It does not explicitly mention "technician", but some security technician roles may fall under this award if the primary duty is security-related rather than technical installation. The award sets minimum rates for five levels of security officer, effective from 1 July 2026:
- Security Officer Level 1: $28.42 per hour, $1,080.10 per week
- Security Officer Level 2: $29.24 per hour, $1,111.00 per week
- Security Officer Level 3: $29.73 per hour, $1,129.80 per week
- Security Officer Level 4: $30.23 per hour, $1,148.70 per week
- Security Officer Level 5: $31.20 per hour, $1,185.70 per week
These rates are for full-time employees working 38 ordinary hours per week. The annual salary for a Level 1 security officer at the minimum rate would be about $56,165 (38 hours × $28.42 × 52 weeks). That is roughly half the national full-time average of $108,352. Even the highest Level 5 rate yields about $61,656 per year, still well below the average.
It is important to note that these are minimum rates. Many security officers and technicians earn above the award through enterprise agreements or individual arrangements. According to the ABS Characteristics of Employment survey for August 2025, 38.5% of employees had their pay set by individual arrangement, and 34.6% by collective agreement. So actual earnings can be higher.
Could security technicians be covered by a different award?
If a security technician's main role is installing, maintaining, or repairing electronic security equipment (such as alarms, cameras, or access control systems), they may be covered by the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 or the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020. Those awards have different classification structures and pay rates. Unfortunately, the search results provided do not include those awards, so we cannot give specific figures here. You would need to check the relevant award or your employment contract.
How the national full-time average compares
The national full-time average of $108,352 per year is based on ABS Average Weekly Earnings for May 2026. This figure includes all full-time adult employees across all industries and occupations. It is higher than the full-time median ($90,532) because high-income earners raise the average. For context, the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $52,255 per year for a 38-hour week. Award rates for security officers start above that minimum but still sit in the lower half of the earnings distribution.
State differences
Full-time average earnings vary by state and territory. The highest is the Australian Capital Territory at about $119,090 per year, followed by Western Australia at $115,825. The lowest is Tasmania at $96,008. If you work as a security technician in a higher-paying state, your earnings may be closer to the local average, but award rates are national and do not vary by location (except for some allowances).
What this means for your salary check
If you are a security technician and want to see where your pay sits against the national full-time average, you can place a salary on the line using this site's tool. The tool will show your weekly and hourly equivalents based on a 38-hour week, and the distance from the $108,352 average. Remember that the average is just one reference point. Your personal circumstances, experience, and bargaining power will determine your actual pay.
For more detail on how the ABS calculates these figures, see How the figures are set.
Summary
- The ABS does not publish a specific salary for security technicians.
- The Security Services Industry Award sets minimum rates for security officers ranging from $28.42 to $31.20 per hour (about $56,165 to $61,656 per year).
- The national full-time average is $108,352 per year, more than double the award minimum for a Level 1 officer.
- Actual earnings for security technicians may be higher if covered by a different award or an enterprise agreement.
- Use the site's tool to compare your own salary against the average.