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A TikTok creator’s account of FIFO income has reignited a familiar question: how can mining workers earn a lot and still feel financially stretched? PerthNow reported in January 2024 that Perth-based FIFO worker Asher Shaw said miners could take home $2,000–$4,000 a week after tax and still live week to week. That range is Shaw’s reported claim—not a measured industry average. Official statistics confirm that mining is a high-earning industry on average, but they measure before-tax earnings across the industry, not FIFO workers’ take-home pay.
What Asher Shaw said about FIFO salaries
In a story published on 28 January 2024, PerthNow identified Shaw as a Perth-based FIFO worker and TikTok creator. The outlet reported that he said miners earn “$2000 to $4000 per week after tax” on average, yet can still be “living week to week.” The article did not provide a survey or other method establishing that range as representative of the mining workforce.
PerthNow also described an earlier video in which Shaw reportedly said he personally took home $1,200 a week after tax from FIFO work. He said he often worked five or six 10-hour shifts and that bills, his mortgage, fuel and food left him just enough for the next week. The account also said he had built a side hustle that matched his FIFO income. These are statements attributed to Shaw by PerthNow; no payroll records or original-video transcript accompany the report.
The story said Shaw’s account had more than 10,000 followers and the salary-discussion video more than 400,000 views at publication. It also reported that a similar video posted on 11 January had reached more than one million viewers. Those are historical counts from January 2024, not current TikTok totals.
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What official mining earnings figures show—and what they do not
The latest official benchmark in the cited sources is the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, May 2026, released in September 2026. It reports average weekly ordinary-time earnings of $3,224.20 for full-time adults in Mining. The figure is before tax and covers the Mining industry category; it is not specific to FIFO work, occupations or individual rosters. The ABS table gives $3,321.40 for men and $2,848.90 for women.
That ABS figure should not be directly compared with Shaw’s reported $2,000–$4,000 after-tax range as though they measure the same workers or kind of pay. One is an official industry-wide average of ordinary-time earnings before tax; the other is a range Shaw reportedly described as workers’ weekly take-home pay. Their populations, periods and gross/net bases differ.
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Why “FIFO miner salary” is not one number
FIFO describes a way of working and travelling to a job site, not a single occupation or pay scale. A truck driver, heavy-diesel mechanic, operator, tradesperson, site-services worker, professional and supervisor may have different pay structures and may be covered by different industrial instruments. A useful comparison needs more than an annual salary headline:
- Role and classification: identify the actual job and applicable classification, rather than relying on the broad label “miner.”
- Gross or net: separate a before-tax salary or earnings figure from money received after tax.
- Roster and hours: note days on and off, shift length, overtime and whether stated hours include paid or unpaid time.
- Pay components: distinguish base wages from allowances, penalties, bonuses and annualised-wage arrangements.
- Date and location: pay reports refer to a particular period and job market; older examples may not describe current conditions.
- Evidence: distinguish an official population statistic from a worker’s account or a commenter’s experience.
What the Mining Industry Award covers
The Fair Work Commission’s Mining Industry Award 2020 (MA000011), consolidated through amendments up to and including 1 July 2026, sets minimum rates and conditions for employees it covers. It includes classifications and provisions on ordinary hours, annualised wages, allowances, overtime and shiftwork. The award says a full-time employee is engaged to work an average of 38 ordinary hours per week; that does not mean every FIFO roster is a standard 38-hour week. The award also allows industry-specific working arrangements. For example, non-shiftworkers may be required to work up to 10 ordinary hours per day, with specified agreement provisions allowing up to 12 in particular circumstances.
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Those award rates are minimums for covered employees, not market averages or a complete salary guide. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s Mining Industry Award summary explains that coverage depends on the employer and classification and lists exclusions. These include black coal mining and some occupational groups, such as professional engineers, geologists, scientists and some office roles. A worker needs to check the instrument that applies to their actual employer and duties.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Other reported pay stories are individual examples, not benchmarks
Other media accounts show how much context can sit behind a salary figure. They should not be combined into a representative FIFO pay range.
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| Reported example | What the report attributes to the worker | Why it is not directly comparable |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy-diesel mechanic Richard Detering, reported by Yahoo Finance Australia on 29 August 2023 | He described earning $165,000 a year plus a bonus he estimated at about 15%, and after-tax pay of around $115,000 before the bonus. He also described an 84-hour-per-week, two-weeks-on/two-weeks-off roster. | It is one worker’s account, with a different role, roster and bonus structure from Shaw’s reported example. Read the report. |
| Truck driver Ashlea, reported by 7NEWS; first published 15 July 2023 and updated 12 July 2024 | She described a trainee rate of $36.50 an hour, rising to $43.50 after three months, and a later contractor rate of $51.50 an hour, alongside her account of roster, bonuses and annualised pay. She said the figures were what she personally received. | The figures are her reported experience at particular stages and under particular arrangements, not a general rate for FIFO truck drivers. Read the report. |
Can high FIFO pay still leave someone financially stretched?
It can, in principle: income alone does not show what remains after tax and recurring costs. Shaw’s account, as relayed by PerthNow, describes bills, a mortgage, fuel and food consuming his weekly take-home pay. The story’s comments included disagreement about calling six-figure earners poor and one commenter’s account of a household FIFO income of $85,000 a year. Neither the comments nor Shaw’s example establish how common financial stress is among FIFO workers.
The cited material documents a debate about the gap between headline earnings and financial security, but it does not quantify how many FIFO workers live week to week. A large gross figure, a personal take-home figure and an anecdotal comment answer different questions; none alone establishes another worker’s likely pay or financial position.
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