Security Guard Cost Australia 2025: What You Should Expect to Pay

Security guard pricing in Australia is often poorly understood by buyers — and this misunderstanding is exploited by providers who offer unsustainably low rates that hide wage theft, licence non-compliance, or inadequate insurance. This guide explains what security guards actually cost, why, and how to evaluate a quote properly.

The Foundation: The Security Industry Award

Security guard wages in Australia are set as a minimum by the Security Industry Award 2020 — a Modern Award made by the Fair Work Commission. This Award covers all security industry workers and sets minimum hourly rates, penalty rates for evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays, shift allowances, and minimum engagement periods.

No legitimate, compliant security company can pay less than Award rates. A quote significantly below market rate is almost always a sign of Award non-compliance — which is wage theft, and creates legal and insurance risks for clients.

Award Wage Rates 2025 (Security Guard Level 2)

As a rough guide, the Security Industry Award 2025 base rate for a Security Guard (Grade 2 — the most common deployment grade) is approximately:

• Monday–Friday ordinary hours: ~$27–$29/hr (base rate, employer cost)
• Afternoon shift (finishing after 6pm): base + 15%
• Night shift: base + 30%
• Saturday: base × 1.5
• Sunday: base × 1.75
• Public holiday: base × 2.25

These are employee wage costs only. The bill rate charged to you as a client also includes superannuation, WorkCover, payroll tax, leave loading, company overheads, and margin — typically adding 50–80% on top of the base wage.

What Bill Rates Should You Expect?

Based on Award-compliant pricing with reasonable margins, typical 2025 bill rates for standard security guards in Australian capital cities:

• Standard daytime (Mon–Fri): $35–$55/hr
• Evening (after 6pm weekday): $45–$65/hr
• Night shift: $55–$75/hr
• Saturday: $55–$80/hr
• Sunday: $65–$90/hr
• Public holiday: $80–$120/hr

Crowd controllers (requiring an additional licence endorsement) attract a premium of approximately $5–$10/hr above standard guard rates. Specialist roles (armed security, executive protection) attract significantly higher premiums.

Why Are Some Quotes Much Lower?

If you receive a quote materially below these ranges — especially for weekend or night shifts — you should ask serious questions. Common reasons:

Sham Contracting

Treating security workers as independent contractors (ABN contractors) rather than employees. This illegally denies workers their Award entitlements and is a form of wage theft. The Australian Building and Construction Commission and Fair Work Ombudsman have prosecuted numerous security companies for this practice.

Underpayment of Award Rates

Simply paying less than Award minimum rates. This is wage theft and creates liability for the employer — but also reputational risk for you as the client if it becomes public that your security provider was underpaying workers.

No WorkCover Insurance

WorkCover premiums are a significant cost in the security industry due to the physical nature of the work. Providers who don't carry WorkCover are breaking the law — and if an officer is injured on your site, you may face exposure.

Unlicensed Labour

Deploying officers without valid security licences is illegal in every state. In Victoria, unlicensed security work is an offence under the Private Security Act 2004 — for both the company and the individual.

The Minimum Shift Rule

Under the Security Industry Award, security guards are entitled to a minimum engagement of 4 hours per shift. This means if you need a guard for 2 hours, you'll pay for 4. Factor this into your cost calculations for short-duration requirements — it may make mobile patrols more cost-effective than a static guard.

Comparing Quotes Properly

When comparing security quotes, ensure you're comparing the same thing. Our guide on what to look for in a security provider covers exactly which questions to ask before signing. Key checklist:

• Same hours (day vs evening vs night makes a significant difference)
• Same licence type (guard vs crowd controller)
• Same scope (what's included in reporting, supervision, operations centre oversight)
• Same insurance levels (ask for certificates of currency)

A quote that looks 20% cheaper but doesn't include supervisor oversight, operations centre backup, or doesn't carry adequate insurance is not actually cheaper — it's just hiding costs you'll pay differently if something goes wrong.

Getting the Best Value

The best value in security comes from using the right tool for the job. For a full framework, see our business security budgeting guide. Key principles:

• Right-sizing the solution — mobile patrols where a static guard isn't needed
• Longer term contracts — ongoing commitments attract better pricing than ad-hoc requests
• Combining services — security guard + mobile patrol + alarm monitoring from one provider
• Electronic security integration — CCTV and access control reduce the number of officers needed
• Clear, detailed briefs — vague requirements lead to over-staffing; specific briefs allow efficient deployment