Where the site engineer salary sits against the Australian full-time average
If you are a site engineer or considering the role, a natural question is how the pay compares with the national benchmark. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publishes the official full-time adult ordinary-time average twice a year. The latest figure, from May 2026, is $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 a year (multiplied by 52 weeks). This is the line that Average line uses as its reference point.
The typical site engineer salary
Job-market data from Indeed suggests the average site engineer salary in Australia is $107,007 per year, based on 294 salaries reported as of May 2026. This is a crowd-sourced average, not an official ABS statistic, but it gives a reasonable market indication. At $107,007, the typical site engineer earns about $1,345 a year less than the national full-time average – a gap of roughly 1.2%.
It is important to note that this figure is an average, not a median. The ABS full-time median (for all occupations) is about $90,532 a year (ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025). The site engineer average sits well above that median, suggesting the role is relatively well paid compared with the typical full-time worker.
How it compares with the minimum wage and award rates
The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week on a 38-hour week – about $52,255 a year. A site engineer on $107,007 earns more than double the minimum wage. Award minimums in the building and construction industry rose by 4.75% from 1 July 2026, but site engineers are typically employed under professional classifications or enterprise agreements, not the Building and Construction General On-site Award. That award covers trades and construction workers, with weekly rates for a Level 1 employee ranging from $1,067 to $1,101 per week – far below the site engineer average.
State and territory comparisons
The ABS publishes full-time adult ordinary-time earnings for each state and territory. Here is how the site engineer average of $107,007 compares:
- New South Wales full-time average: $109,658 – site engineer average is about $2,651 below.
- Victoria full-time average: $106,137 – site engineer average is about $870 above.
- Queensland full-time average: $106,064 – site engineer average is about $943 above.
- South Australia full-time average: $102,450 – site engineer average is about $4,557 above.
- Western Australia full-time average: $115,825 – site engineer average is about $8,818 below.
- Tasmania full-time average: $96,008 – site engineer average is about $10,999 above.
- Northern Territory full-time average: $103,173 – site engineer average is about $3,834 above.
- Australian Capital Territory full-time average: $119,090 – site engineer average is about $12,083 below.
Indeed’s city-level data shows higher averages in some locations: Gold Coast ($124,642), Canberra ($122,108), Brisbane ($115,834), Perth ($113,940), Melbourne ($111,755), and Sydney ($108,162). These city averages may reflect a mix of seniority and project types.
Industry context
The ABS does not publish a specific category for “site engineer”. The closest industry grouping is Professional, scientific and technical services, which has a full-time adult ordinary-time average of $2,389.60 per week (about $124,259 a year). That is higher than the site engineer average, but many site engineers work in construction or mining, which may have different pay structures.
Tax and take-home pay
For the 2026–27 income year, a site engineer earning $107,007 would fall into the 30% marginal tax bracket (income between $45,001 and $135,000). The tax-free threshold is $18,200. After the 2% Medicare levy, the estimated tax on $107,007 is roughly $25,000–$26,000, leaving a take-home pay of about $81,000–$82,000 per year, or about $1,558–$1,577 per week. This is a rough estimate; individual circumstances vary.
What this means for your salary check
If you are a site engineer, you can place your salary on the line to see exactly where you stand against the national full-time average. You can also explore job medians for other roles or industry medians to see how your field compares. For a deeper look at how the figures are set, see How the figures are set.
Key takeaways
- The average site engineer salary of $107,007 is slightly below the national full-time average of $108,352.
- It is well above the full-time median ($90,532) and the national minimum wage ($52,255).
- Pay varies significantly by state and city, with the ACT and Western Australia offering the highest state averages.
- The figure is based on job-market data, not an official ABS survey, so treat it as a guide.
For more context on how different states compare, see States and territories.