New tax data from the Australian Taxation Office for the 2022–23 financial year, published last month, confirms that lawyers continue to be among Australia’s highest-earning professionals.
“Judicial and other legal professionals” ranked eighth on the ATO’s list, with an average taxable income of $206,408, marking a modest year-on-year increase of $1,474. This places them alongside mining engineers in the high-income bracket, trailing only behind elite medical and financial roles such as surgeons, anaesthetists, financial dealers, internal medicine specialists, psychiatrists, and other medical practitioners.
Key figures from the list include:
- Surgeons topped the rankings with $472,475 on average, followed by anaesthetists at $447,193.
- Financial dealers – the highest-paid non-medical profession – earned $355,233 on average.
- Lawyers came in close to mining engineers, who earned $206,423, with both occupations surpassing the national average taxable income of $74,240.
Although not among the very highest earners, legal professionals enjoy a strong position in Australia’s income hierarchy. Their steady year-on-year gains reflect continued demand for high-level legal expertise across both public and private sectors.
These figures, derived from millions of tax returns, highlight that a career in law remains both prestigious and financially rewarding. That said, these figures hide a disparity between the highest earning lawyers and those who are arguably underpaid for their skills and expertise.
The Law Society of Western Australia continues to campaign for an increase in the rate of remuneration for private practitioners doing Legal Aid work in WA.
