Plasterer salary in Australia
Quick answer
The government occupation profile for plasterers lists median full time earnings of about 1,841 dollars a week, with wide variation because so much of the trade runs on square metre piecework. Apprentice pay has no single figure: it depends on the award, your year and your age, so check the Fair Work Pay Calculator.
Plastering money is misunderstood in both directions. People hear about gun sheeting crews clearing big weeks and assume everyone earns that, or they see award minimums and assume the trade is broke. The truth is that plastering has one of the widest pay spreads of any trade because piecework is so common: what you produce per day, not just the hours you clock, drives the number. Here is what the actual data says and what moves you up the range.
What you get paid as an apprentice
Always check your official rate with the Fair Work Pay Calculator (opens in a new tab). These are minimum award rates for full-time apprentices who started on or after 1 January 2014. Your pay can be higher under an enterprise agreement or your contract, and it depends on your age, your year, whether you finished Year 12 and the work you do.
Plasterboard fixers are assumed to fall in the same group as solid plasterers. Check your rate with Fair Work if you only fix plasterboard.
Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020). Minimum pay for a full-time apprentice from 1 July 2026.
Residential
| Year | Junior, no Year 12 | Junior, finished Year 12 | Adult (21+ at start) | 3-year apprenticeship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year | $647.37/wk$17.04/hr | $703.33/wk$18.51/hr | $1,101.32/wk$28.98/hr | $703.33/wk$18.51/hr |
| 2nd year | $759.28/wk$19.98/hr | $815.24/wk$21.45/hr | $1,101.32/wk$28.98/hr | $927.15/wk$24.40/hr |
| 3rd year | $927.15/wk$24.40/hr | $927.15/wk$24.40/hr | $1,101.32/wk$28.98/hr | $1,095.01/wk$28.82/hr |
| 4th year | $1,095.01/wk$28.82/hr | $1,095.01/wk$28.82/hr | $1,101.32/wk$28.98/hr | n/a |
Non-residential (commercial, industrial, civil)
| Year | Junior, no Year 12 | Junior, finished Year 12 | Adult (21+ at start) | 3-year apprenticeship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year | $660.80/wk$17.39/hr | $716.76/wk$18.86/hr | $1,114.75/wk$29.34/hr | $716.76/wk$18.86/hr |
| 2nd year | $772.71/wk$20.33/hr | $828.67/wk$21.81/hr | $1,114.75/wk$29.34/hr | $940.58/wk$24.75/hr |
| 3rd year | $940.58/wk$24.75/hr | $940.58/wk$24.75/hr | $1,114.75/wk$29.34/hr | $1,108.44/wk$29.17/hr |
| 4th year | $1,108.44/wk$29.17/hr | $1,108.44/wk$29.17/hr | $1,114.75/wk$29.34/hr | n/a |
How these rates work, and what can change yours +
Percentage of the 'standard rate' = Level 3 (CW/ECW 3) minimum weekly rate $1,119.10 (clause 19.7(b)), plus the tool allowance for the apprentice's trade and the industry allowance (clause 19.7(c)) in full. Progression is competency-based: stage 2 starts at 25% of competencies or 12 months, whichever is earlier, and so on (clause 19.7(b)(i)). Dollar figures below are the pay guide rates, which include industry and tool allowances. Residential and non-residential (general building/commercial/industrial and civil) differ only because the industry allowance differs.
- •Solid plasterers use the 'plasterer' tool allowance group. Plasterboard (wall and ceiling lining) apprentices are assumed to fall in the same 'caster, fixer ... or plasterer' group; the pay guide does not name plasterboard fixers separately, so confirm the classification for a specific employer. Plasterers working for a joinery/building-trades employer off-site could instead be under the Joinery and Building Trades Award (MA000029).
- •Rates differ by sector: 'residential' (residential building and construction industry allowance $1.41/hr) vs 'non-residential' (general building and construction, civil construction, metal and engineering construction; higher industry allowance). Civil construction rates in the pay guide are identical to general building non-residential rates.
- •Wage progression is by competency stage or time, whichever is earlier (clause 19.7(b)). An apprentice can move to the next stage before 12 months if they hit the competency threshold. Apprenticeship can also finish early once qualified (clause 19.7(d)).
- •Percentage column refers to the CW3 base only; the weekly figure adds tool and industry allowances, so percent x $1,119.10 will not equal the weekly figure.
- •Adult apprentices get the greater of the lowest adult classification (CW/ECW 1 level a, $1,013.50/wk) or the junior rate for their stage, plus allowances (clause 19.8(d)). At these rates the floor is higher in every year, so the pay guide shows one 'all years/stages' adult rate. Adult apprentices who worked 6 months full-time (12 months part-time/casual) for the same employer immediately before keep their old rate (clause 19.8(a)-(c)).
- •Apprentices who started before 1 January 2014 are on a different scale (4-year: 45/55/75/90%); use the Pay and Conditions Tool.
- •Apprentices also get a daily fares and travel allowance (2026-27: $16.81 1st year, $19.05 2nd, $20.17 3rd, $21.29 4th per day) that is NOT included in the weekly figures.
- •Hourly figures are weekly / 38.
- •School-based apprentices: see Schedule C.
- •WA: unincorporated employers in WA are generally in the WA state system, not this modern award.
Source: Fair Work pay guide, MA000020 (July 2026) (opens in a new tab), Building and Construction General On-site Award text (MA000020) (opens in a new tab).
What qualified plasterers earn
The Australian Government's Jobs and Skills Australia profile for plasterers (ANZSCO group 3332, covering fibrous and solid plasterers) lists median full time weekly earnings of around 1,841 dollars, across roughly 31,600 workers. That is a median for employees: half earn more, half less, and it says nothing about your first years or about subcontractor profits. These figures update as new data lands, and the linked Your Career pages for fibrous and solid plasterer carry the current occupation stats, so treat the number here as a snapshot and check the live profile before you rely on it.
Piecework: the plastering wildcard
A huge share of residential sheeting and stopping is priced per square metre. For subcontractors that means speed and finish quality translate directly into income: a fast, clean two person crew on volume housing can out earn most wage tradies, while a slow week or a rain delayed site earns nothing. Apprentices are employees and must be paid their lawful wage regardless of the crew's rates, so if anyone tries to pay a first year 'on the metres', that is a Fair Work problem, not a normal arrangement.
What else moves the number
- •Award versus enterprise agreement: commercial fit-out on EBA sites generally pays above award, with allowances on top
- •Location: capital city commercial work and busy growth corridors pay more than thin regional markets, though regional costs are lower
- •Which side of the trade: specialist solid and heritage work is scarce enough to command strong rates
- •Overtime, ladder of allowances and multi skilling (ceilings tickets, EWP licence) all add to a wage
- •Self-employment: many plasterers end up subcontracting with an ABN, where turnover looks big but insurance, gear, a ute, super and slow payers all come out of it
Apprentice pay, explained
Apprentice rates are set as a percentage of a tradesperson's rate under the relevant award, usually the Building and Construction General On-site Award, and the percentage climbs each year (or each competency stage) of the apprenticeship. Adult apprentices, 21 or over at the start, get higher minimums, and whether you completed year 12 can also change the rate. If your job is covered by an enterprise agreement instead, the agreement's rates apply. The only reliable way to know your number is the Fair Work Pay Calculator at https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/, which asks your award, year and age and gives the current legal minimum.
How it stacks up against other trades
On the government medians, plasterers sit in the same broad band as most building completion trades, below licensed electricians and above general labouring. The honest comparison is about ceilings and floors: plastering has a lower barrier to going out on your own than the licensed trades, so the jump from wages to running a crew comes earlier, but piecework also means the floor is less protected when housing slows. If you want steady pay, chase commercial EBA work; if you want upside, build speed and a reputation and take on your own metres.
Sources and official links
Straight from the source. These open in a new tab.
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Plasterers occupation profile (ANZSCO 3332) (opens in a new tab)
- Your Career: Fibrous Plasterer (opens in a new tab)
- Your Career: Solid Plasterer (opens in a new tab)
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Apprentice and trainee pay rates (opens in a new tab)
- Fair Work Pay Calculator (opens in a new tab)
Keep reading: Get Into a Trade
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