Criminologist Salary in Australia: Minimum Wage and Award Coverage

Understanding the criminologist salary: minimum wage and award coverage

If you're researching a criminologist salary in Australia, the first question is which legal pay floor applies. Unlike some occupations, there is no single modern award that covers all criminologists. The applicable award depends on the employer—for example, a criminologist working for a state government may be covered by a public sector award, while one in a university might fall under the Higher Education Industry Award. If no award or enterprise agreement applies, the national minimum wage sets the floor.

The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026

The Fair Work Commission sets the national minimum wage each year. From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, the adult national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week for a full-time employee working 38 ordinary hours. For casual employees, the minimum is $33.05 per hour (including the 25% casual loading). These rates apply to award-free and agreement-free employees. However, many criminologists are not award-free, so the actual rate may be higher.

Award coverage for criminologists

The Fair Work Ombudsman advises that most employees are covered by a modern award. The Fair Work Commission's Modern Awards Pay Database includes many awards, but none specifically titled "Criminologist". Common awards that might cover criminologist roles include the Professional Employees Award 2020, the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010, or various state public sector awards. If you are covered by an award, the minimum rates in that award (including any classification rates, allowances, and penalty rates) apply instead of the national minimum wage. The award rates are often higher.

Survey data on criminologist salary

PayScale reports an average criminologist salary of AU$64,063 per year based on 25 survey profiles as of June 2026. This translates to roughly $32.42 per hour for a 38-hour week. The range is from $51,000 to $100,000. This is a survey average, not a legal minimum. Actual salaries depend on experience, location, employer, and whether an award or agreement sets a higher rate. The PayScale data should be treated as a guide, not a determination.

Superannuation on top

Employers must pay superannuation guarantee contributions on your ordinary time earnings. From 1 July 2026, the super guarantee rate is 26.44%? Actually, the correct rate is 12% as per the super guarantee rate from 1 July 2026 is 12% for 2026-27. The on-site reference says 12% on top of ordinary time earnings. So from 1 July 2026, the super guarantee is 12%. So if your criminologist salary is $64,000, your employer would contribute an additional $7,680 to your super fund.

Comparing the floor to survey averages

The chart below compares the survey median hourly rate from PayScale to the national minimum wage. The survey median is higher, but remember that many criminologists are covered by awards that set rates above the national minimum. The national minimum is the absolute floor for award-free employees.

Key takeaways

• The legal minimum for an award-free adult criminologist is $26.44 per hour.
• If covered by an award, the award rate applies and is typically higher.
• Survey averages like PayScale's $64,063 are estimates, not official rates.
• Superannuation of 12% is paid on top.

For more details, see our Which minimum wage applies guide and Rate tables.

For the published floors, see the rate tables and how the figures work.