As Australia is a wealthy country and likes to share what it has with its citizens, the social worker salary in Australia is also well above average. This country has a long history of caring for people and their wellbeing, such as healthcare and education. However, not everyone knows that there are also many social workers who don’t work in these areas but are still essential to society.
A social worker salary in Australia is not always very high. That is why a number of people who want to earn more in their work are looking for a way out. But first, what is Social Work? Social workers provide services when families, individuals or communities face problems. They help clients solve their problems by developing problem solving skills and encouraging them to help themselves.
Social Worker Salary In Australia – Are you looking for a higher salary than the average or median salary offered to social workers? According to our research, the average annual salary of a social worker in Australia is $75,000 AUD.
Social Worker Salary In Australia Overview
The first step in becoming a social worker or any other kind of mental health professional is to get a degree. If you’re looking at getting into this field, you’ll need to understand how much you could earn per hour and how much job security you’ll have as an entry-level employee.
In Australia, there are 2 levels of social workers: grade 1 and grade 2. Grade 1 social workers are usually only seen in hospitals or private practices. They make about $41,000 AUD per year as an entry-level position. Based on our research on average hourly wages for social workers in Australia, this would work out to about $25 AUD per hour.
Grade 2 social workers are more commonly found in community settings like schools or child care centers. They typically handle more complex cases than grade 1s do and make about $46,000 AUD per year as an entry-level position. Based on our research on average hourly wages for social workers in Australia, this would work out to about $29 AUD per hour.
Who is A social worker
I’m sure you’ve heard that social work is hard. That’s all anyone has to say about it. But what exactly does that mean? As a social worker, your day will consist of provide counseling services, performing administrative duties, taking time to interview potential clients, and meeting with lawyers. This is where the hard part comes into play.
A big part of a social worker’s role is to provide assistance to people who are facing challenges in their life. Social workers try to improve their wellbeing and make sure they are being treated fairly. It’s the situations that you’ll find yourself helping that are the tough parts. From family violence to homelessness, this job isn’t protected against some sad stories.
In fact, many social workers say the hardest part of the job is seeing how cruel people can be toward each other, especially families. You never want to see a kid take the brunt of a fight between two adults, but it happens more than you know. That’s the kind of sad reality you might find yourself in as a social worker. There needs to be more people like you in the world.
Average Social Worker Salary / Wages
Salary and pay information for social workers is compiled regularly by analysis of Australian jobs advertised in major publications. Salaries are annual unless otherwise stated.
The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations Code (ANZSCO) is 272511 for social workers.
Job titles and exact tasks vary in this work and examples of some occupation titles are social worker, mental health social worker and aboriginal councillor.
This occupation is currently on the Australian Combined Skilled Occupation List, (Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, MLTSSL).
The average weekly full-time ordinary earnings in Health Care and Social Assistance in mid 2018 were $1,523, giving an annual income of approximately $79,200. This was 1.0% higher than in mid 2017.*
Data supplied from Indeed over the past 36 months, based on over 830 salaries, estimated that the average salary for a social worker was $75,950 per annum in Australia.
Social Worker Salaries / Wages in 2018
| Job Title | Salary / Wage $ | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Planned Support Worker – Case Management | 70,000 – 80,000 | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Mental Health Clinician | 70,000 – 85,000 | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Social Worker Coastal Contract | up to 80,000 | New South Wales |
| Social Worker Team Leader Disability Support | 90,000 – 100,000 | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Senior Clinician – Psychologist or Social Worker | 95,000 – 115,000 | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Social Workers – Network Student Engagement Teams | $85,000 -90,000 | Canberra, ACT |
| Social Worker | 64,000 – 94,000 | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Coordinator – Residential Youth Care | 75,000 | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Registered Psychologist / Social Worker MHS | 85,000 – 99,000 | Canberra, ACT |
| Senior Social Worker | 87,000 – 91,000 | Canberra, ACT |
| Social Worker / Counsellor | 65,000 – 80,000 | Perth, Western Australia |
| Intensive Family Support Case Worker (Social Worker) | 80,000 | Perth, Western Australia |
