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READ MORE: Why earning $100,000 is no longer considered rich in Australia By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 14:01 GMT, 9 November 2025 | Updated: 14:01 GMT, 9 November 2025 Australians have been left outraged after hearing a forensic police officer who has spent eight years in the force earns less than $100,000. An interviewer for job seeking app Get Ahead struck up the chat with a Queensland Police officer in Brisbane last week and her responses sparked controversy. The policewoman was asked what her role was in the force and how much she earned. 'I'm a scenes of crime officer with the Queensland Police,' she said, adding she makes 'just under six figures'. 'It changes with every rank that you are within the police.' The officer said she had trained for around six years before reaching her current position. 'I have a bachelor of science behind me prior to policing,' she said. 'I did two to three years of general policing and then I went over to scenes of crime, which is the forensic unit. I'm on my eighth year now.' A policewoman in Brisbane revealed she makes less than $100,000 a year The woman spent eight years with Queensland Police and works as a scenes of crime officer However, the officer said she works longer than a lot of other industries. 'There's a lot of overtime associated with my job,' she said. 'The longest job I have been at would be a week. Obviously, we go home for sleep and food, but you are there for about 12 hours every day.' Despite the long hours, the woman said she was happy in her job and enjoyed a good relationship with her boss and coworkers. She added there was support available for her to help cope with the mental load of being a frontline worker, a role she finds incredibly rewarding. 'The best part about my job is I find out who the offender was. I'm the reason why investigators arrest certain people,' she said. However, dozens of commenters were focused on one key part of the interview, that the policewoman makes less than $100,000 a year. 'Police should be paid at least $200k a year! Their mental health is very important for their role,' one wrote. Commenters were shocked by the low salary paid to dedicated frontline workers 'This woman is awesome. They need to pay her way more,' another said. 'That is not much money at all,' another wrote. 'Probationary constables start on $98k in NSW. This is sad,' another said. 'That is so low,' another wrote. Others wrote that the low wages offered to police is an 'insult to our first responders'. Data collected by Seek found the average salary for a police officer in Australia is between $60,000 and $70,000, but that varies by state and role. Share or comment on this article: Outrage as police officer reveals her salary: 'This is an insult' Add comment
