Plumber Jobs Brisbane

If you're a plumber choosing between Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, Brisbane currently pays the most. And commercial and civil plumbers are in demand.

What Brisbane plumbers earn

SEEK, refreshed 1 October 2026:

Plumber, Brisbane - $95,000-$105,000
Plumber, Melbourne - $90,000-$100,000
Plumber, Sydney - $75,000-$95,000

One Brisbane commercial and civil plumbing role HJ Recruitment is recruiting for in October 2026 pays $45-55 an hour. On a 38-hour week that's roughly $89,000-$109,000, before overtime.

Commercial vs domestic

Domestic. Leaks, hot water, blocked drains, renovations. Lots of customer contact, lots of driving between jobs.

Commercial. Shops, offices, apartments, hospitals. Bigger crews, set sites, more work from drawings.

Civil and inground. Subdivisions, stormwater, sewer and water mains. Often needs machinery tickets and experience with PE pipe welding.

Commercial and civil roles tend to pay towards the top of the band and need more specific experience.

What employers ask for

Your QBCC plumbing licence and its class. Our post on plumbing licence classes in Queensland explains each one.
A white card.
Machinery tickets, for civil work, such as excavator or skid steer.
Experience on the type of job. Inground, fire, stormwater, sewer and water experience all count for civil roles.

How to move up the band

Add drainage or gasfitting to your licence if you haven't
Get civil experience, including PE welding, if you're domestic now
Consider mechanical services or fire work. Fire technicians are the top-paid trade in Brisbane, at $110,000-$120,000 on SEEK's October data

Before you apply

Ask whether the rate is hourly plus overtime, and how much overtime is typical. On big civil jobs, overtime can be a big part of the pay.

HJ Recruitment places permanent plumbers with employers in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. See the roles we're recruiting for now, or get in touch.

Sources- SEEK - Plumber salary, Brisbane- SEEK - Fire technician salary, Brisbane- HJ Recruitment - Current jobs (rates as advertised, October 2026)