Communications Operator

A communications operator is a radio operator who sends and receives messages by voice, morse code and radio teletype. The job is to pass messages accurately between operators and the people who need them, following set radio procedures and keeping sensitive information secure. Communications operators also monitor and maintain radio equipment and keep a record of every message sent and received. The ABS lists navy, army and air force communications roles as specialist versions of this job, and defence is a major setting for this work.

Send and receive radio messages by voice, morse code and radio teletype. Monitor radio channels and respond to calls from other operators. Follow set procedures and protocols for every radio transmission. Check and relay messages accurately to the people who need them. Test, monitor and look after radio equipment, and report faults. Keep sensitive information secure and confidential. Log every message sent and received with accurate details. Help other staff with communications so information is passed on quickly.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

Defence communications roles mean enlisting, meeting fitness and medical standards, and usually getting a security clearance. Postings can move you around the country, and some roles involve time at sea or overseas. The work often runs around the clock, so shifts, nights and long stretches of close concentration are common. Outside defence, jobs that are mainly radio operation are less common.

Much of this work is in defence, at bases across Australia and on ships. A smaller number of civilian roles may exist in organisations that run their own radio networks. The work is done on site at a base, ship or communications centre, so it can't be done remotely.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3423, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adapt artistic plan to locationcore
• Adapt to artists' creative demandscore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Data Entry and Accuracycore
• Dispatch Documentationcore
• Escalation Managementcore
• Inbound Call Handlingcore
• Multitaskingcore
• Outbound Customer Contactcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• SLA and KPI Adherencecore
• Telephone Etiquettecore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workflow Prioritisationcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Conflict De-escalation
• Digital Literacy
• Incident Reporting
• Record Management
• Telephony Scripting and IVR Navigation
• Time Management and Prioritisation
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Communications Operator workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 10 October 2026