Stenographer salary in Australia
If you work as a stenographer – officially classified as a Machine Shorthand Reporter – you may be wondering how your pay stacks up against the national average. Unfortunately, the Australian Bureau of Statistics does not publish a median weekly earnings figure for this occupation. The sample size is too small to produce a reliable estimate, so we cannot give you a precise stenographer salary. What we can do is show you where the national benchmarks sit and how you can use them to gauge your own earnings.
What the data says about stenographers
Jobs and Skills Australia reports that there are about 1,400 Machine Shorthand Reporters in the country. The workforce is predominantly female (80%) and has a median age of 49, which is older than the all-occupations median of 40. Only 42% of stenographers work full-time hours, compared with 64% across all occupations. Those who do work full-time average 39 hours per week, slightly below the national full-time average of 44 hours.
Because the occupation is small, the ABS suppresses the median earnings figure to protect confidentiality and statistical reliability. That means any specific dollar amount you see online for a stenographer salary is likely an estimate or a guess, not an official statistic.
The national full-time average as a reference point
The most current official earnings benchmark is the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026. Full-time adult ordinary-time earnings averaged $2,083.70 per week across all industries. Multiplied by 52 weeks, that works out to about $108,352 per year. This is the figure we call the national line on this site. You can place a salary on the line to see how it compares.
For context, the full-time median (the middle point of all full-time employees) is lower at about $90,532 per year, while the all-employees median (including part-time and casual workers) is about $74,100 per year. These medians come from the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey, August 2025.
How your pay might look as a week and an hour
Even without a specific stenographer figure, you can use the national average to get a sense of scale. If you earn exactly the national full-time average, your weekly pay before tax would be $2,083.70. On a standard 38-hour week, that equates to about $54.83 per hour. If you work the typical full-time hours for stenographers (39 hours), the hourly rate would be slightly lower at about $53.43.
But remember: the national average covers all occupations and industries. Your actual pay as a stenographer could be higher or lower depending on where you work, your experience, and whether you are in the public or private sector.
State-by-state differences
Where you live also matters. The ABS publishes full-time adult average ordinary-time earnings for each state and territory. Here are the annualised figures (×52) from the May 2026 release:
- New South Wales: about $109,658
- Victoria: about $106,137
- Queensland: about $106,064
- South Australia: about $102,450
- Western Australia: about $115,825
- Tasmania: about $96,008
- Northern Territory: about $103,173
- Australian Capital Territory: about $119,090
If you work in the ACT or Western Australia, the average is higher than the national figure. In Tasmania it is lower. You can explore more states and territories data on this site.
The minimum wage and award rates
Even if the median for stenographers is unpublished, you are still protected by minimum wage laws. From 1 July 2026, the national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour, which comes to $1,004.90 per week or $52,255 per year on a 38-hour week. Most stenographers would be covered by an award or enterprise agreement that sets a higher minimum. Award minimums rose by 4.75% from that date.
Tax on your stenographer salary
Once you know your annual salary, you can estimate your tax using the 2026–27 resident tax rates:
- Nil on the first $18,200
- 15% on income from $18,201 to $45,000
- 30% on income from $45,001 to $135,000
- 37% on income from $135,001 to $190,000
- 45% on income above $190,000
Plus the Medicare levy of 2% (before any reductions). For example, if you earn the national full-time average of $108,352, your tax (including Medicare) would be roughly $25,867, leaving you with about $82,485 after tax.
Where to find more occupation-specific data
If you want to compare stenographer pay with other roles, the ABS publishes median earnings for many occupations at the 4-digit ANZSCO level. Unfortunately, Machine Shorthand Reporters are at the 6-digit level, so they are not included. You can browse job medians for other occupations that do have published figures.
The bottom line
There is no official stenographer salary figure from the ABS. The best you can do is benchmark your own pay against the national full-time average of $2,083.70 per week ($108,352 per year) and adjust for your state, hours, and sector. If you are earning around that level, you are on par with the typical full-time Australian worker. If you are below, you may want to check your award or agreement to ensure you are being paid correctly.
For more detail on how these figures are collected and calculated, see how the figures are set.