Sugar Mill Worker

A sugar mill worker operates and maintains equipment in sugar cane processing facilities to extract, refine, and package raw sugar and by-products. Working in a fast-paced industrial environment, they monitor machinery, perform routine maintenance, handle cane material and chemical inputs, and ensure production targets are met whilst maintaining safe working practices and environmental compliance. This role is typically seasonal in Australian sugar regions such as Queensland and northern New South Wales, with shifts during the crushing season (June to November).

Operate crushers, mills, and diffusers to extract juice from sugar cane using control panels and hydraulic systems. Monitor boiling houses and vacuum pans to regulate temperature, pressure, and crystallisation cycles for sugar quality. Load and unload cane from trucks and conveyors into processing lines using loaders, grabs, or manual handling. Perform routine lubrication and greasing of mill bearings, rollers, and chains according to maintenance schedules. Clean and flush mill equipment at end of shift using high-pressure water systems and approved chemical agents. Test juice samples for Brix (sugar content) using refractometers and pH meters to monitor process parameters. Apply and monitor chemical additives such as lime, flocculants, and biocides in specified quantities. Report equipment faults, breakdowns, or safety hazards to supervisors and assist mechanics with repairs.

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.

You'll only work 5 to 6 months a year during crushing season, then face months without income or need to find other work. The job is physically demanding with hot, noisy conditions, chemical exposure, and serious injury risks from heavy machinery. Career progression is limited unless you move into supervision or maintenance trades.

Mills operate only during June-November crushing season. Work is on-site at processing facilities, not remote. Some workers move between mills or take seasonal work elsewhere during off-season.

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.

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

• 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