Grain Mill Worker

A grain mill worker operates and maintains milling equipment in commercial grain processing facilities, converting raw grain into flour, meal, or other milled products for human or animal consumption. The role involves monitoring mill machinery, adjusting processing parameters, managing raw material intake and finished product output, and ensuring compliance with food safety standards. Work is performed in an industrial milling environment with exposure to dust, noise, and mechanical equipment.

Operate grain milling machinery including roller mills, hammer mills, and stone mills according to production schedules and product specifications. Monitor milling equipment gauges, pressure indicators, and temperature readings to maintain optimal processing conditions. Adjust mill settings such as gap width, feed rate, and grinding fineness based on grain type and product grade requirements. Load raw grain into hopper systems and manage material flow through the milling process. Collect and weigh finished milled product to verify yield and quality against specifications. Clean and maintain milling equipment including screens, rollers, and grinding surfaces to prevent product contamination and ensure food safety compliance. Perform basic troubleshooting of mill equipment and report mechanical faults to maintenance personnel. Test product samples for moisture content, particle size, and colour using basic laboratory equipment or visual assessment.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate I or compulsory secondary education (ABS skill level 5). 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.

The dust exposure is real and relentless. You'll breathe grain dust every shift, which causes respiratory problems over time: mills have air filters but they're not perfect. The noise is constant and loud enough to damage hearing. The work is repetitive, physically demanding, and the pay ceiling is low because it doesn't require qualifications beyond Year 10. Automation may reduce the number of mill operators needed in larger facilities over time.

Some larger mills operate near capital cities for flour distribution. Mills follow grain production, so they're concentrated away from metro areas. Remote work isn't an option for this role.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 8311, 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.

• Administer ingredients in food productioncore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Clean food and beverage machinerycore
• Goods Receipt Processingcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Stock Counting and Stocktakecore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Act reliably
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Adhere to organisational guidelines
• Carry out checks of production plant equipment
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Data Entry and Accuracy
• ERP and Inventory Systems
• Process Improvement Identification
• Stock Reconciliation
• Verbal 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.

Last updated: 30 October 2026