Salary & Earnings

What You Can Earn

RAC Electricians are among the higher-paid tradespeople in Australia thanks to the specialised nature of the work, growing demand for climate control, and a shortage of skilled workers. Earnings vary with experience, qualifications, sector, location, overtime, and whether work is residential, commercial, industrial, or mining.

$75k–$95k

Newly qualified — with many progressing quickly as they gain specialist skills.

$90k–$120k

Experienced technicians; higher in commercial refrigeration, data centres, and critical infrastructure.

$130k–$180k+

Mining, oil & gas, industrial refrigeration, and remote work with allowances and overtime.

$45–$65/hr

Typical qualified hourly rate; specialist, FIFO, and emergency techs often earn more.

Job-market salary data commonly advertises air conditioning and refrigeration technician roles around $100,000 to $120,000 per year, with specialist roles such as chiller technicians and industrial refrigeration specialists commanding higher remuneration. In mining regions, experienced refrigeration specialists can exceed $145,000 per year once site allowances, overtime, on-call, and rosters are included.

Business ownership & outlook

Those who establish their own HVAC or electrical contracting businesses can earn well above employee levels through installation, maintenance, emergency breakdown, commissioning, and energy-efficiency work. With ongoing shortages of qualified tradespeople — particularly in commercial and industrial sectors — strong wage growth and employment opportunities are expected to continue.