How to use this card. These are realistic AU per-day hire rates that competent metro lighting suppliers charge in 2026 (Melbourne / Sydney / Brisbane). Regional surcharge: add 15-25% for delivery + freight. School + community discounts: many suppliers will drop 10-15% if asked, especially out-of-season (May-July, Oct-Dec). Bring this card into a budget meeting. If a quote line is 30%+ above the upper bound here, push back.
1 · Conventional fixtures
Fixture
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
ETC Source Four profile 19°/26°/36°/50°
22
28
38
Workhorse. Lens type doesn't usually change price.
Selecon Pacific profile
22
28
36
Equivalent to S4. Common in older AU rigs.
Strand SL profile
18
24
32
Older, cheaper. Fine for FOH key.
650W fresnel
16
20
26
Standard mid-stage wash unit.
1000W / 1.2kW fresnel
22
28
36
Big-stage wash. Heavy.
PAR 64 can (CP62)
12
15
20
Cheapest unit available. Workhorse for colour wash.
Cyc light / asymmetric flood
75
90
115
4-unit minimum for one cyc.
Followspot (1.2kW, Lycian / Robert Juliat)
240
280
360
Plus operator at A$25-35/hr.
2 · LED fixtures
Fixture
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
ETC Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr/Daylight
42
52
65
Industry standard LED profile.
ETC ColorSource PAR
28
38
50
Mid-tier LED PAR. CRI 80+.
ETC ColorSource Spot V
40
50
62
Budget S4 LED alternative.
Chauvet COLORado / Ovation LED PAR
22
30
40
Lower-end. CRI varies — confirm CRI 80+ for face light.
LED batten / strip (e.g. ColorForce)
90
120
160
Cyc replacement. 4-strip min for one cyc.
3 · Moving lights (intelligent fixtures)
Fixture
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
Chauvet Intimidator Spot / Wash (budget)
85
110
140
School-show appropriate. Don't let supplier upsell unless production demands.
ADJ Vizi Beam (budget)
85
110
140
As above.
Martin Mac Aura wash
140
180
230
Mid-tier. Reasonable for musicals.
Martin Mac Quantum / Viper
220
280
360
Touring-tier. Over-spec for most school work.
Robe Pointe / MegaPointe
200
260
340
Concert / festival kit. Almost always over-spec for school musicals.
Robe Robin BMFL / iForte
340
420
540
Premium touring kit. Question hard.
4 · Console + control
Item
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
ETC Element 2 console
120
160
220
Education-friendly. Reasonable for most school work.
ETC Ion XE console
180
240
320
Standard mid-tier console.
ETC Gio console
300
380
480
Big-show console. Over-spec for school musicals.
MA Lighting grandMA3 light
450
560
720
Concert / theatre touring console. Almost always over-spec.
Avolites Tiger Touch II
280
340
420
Solid mover console. Justifiable if many movers.
Hog 4
340
420
540
As above.
5 · Infrastructure + cable
Item
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
Dimmer rack (24-channel)
80
100
130
One rack ≈ 24 conventionals.
Dimmer rack (48-channel)
140
180
230
Big rig. Confirm need based on conventional count.
3-phase distro box
40
55
75
Splits venue power for the hire rig.
DMX cable (5-pin, 25m roll)
8
12
16
Per cable. Usually not separately itemised.
DMX splitter / opto-isolator
15
20
30
Required for multi-universe rigs.
Multicore cable (16/24/32-way Soco)
35
50
75
Per cable. Standard for hire delivery.
RDM / network switch (gigabit, hire-grade)
25
35
50
Only required for sACN / Art-Net rigs.
Power lead (15A, 20m)
3
5
8
Bundle item. Should be free with rig.
6 · Access equipment
Item
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
Genie GR-15 / GR-20 EWP (one-person lift)
280
340
430
Plus operator with EWP ticket if hire doesn't include one.
Genie AWP-25 (push-around tower)
110
150
190
Cheaper option for low/medium rigs.
Scaffold tower (mobile)
90
120
160
If venue won't take a powered EWP.
Tallescope
160
210
280
Theatre-specific. Single-occupant ladder on wheels.
7 · Labour rates
Role
Low (A$/hr)
Typical (A$/hr)
High (A$/hr)
Notes
Junior crew / casual rigger
35
45
60
Bump-in / bump-out hours.
Senior crew / head electrician
55
75
95
Includes focus + patching.
Lighting programmer (day rate)
350/day
450/day
600/day
10-hour day. Some quote hourly at A$60-90/hr.
Lighting designer (project rate)
2,500
4,500
8,000
Project fee for design + plot + cue stack. School musicals typically A$3-5k.
Followspot operator
28
35
45
Show + dress only. Not bump-in.
Lighting operator (show calls)
35
50
75
Per show. Often the programmer doubles up.
8 · Common add-ons + consumables
Item
Low (A$)
Typical (A$)
High (A$)
Notes
Gel sheet (Lee / Rosco, 53cm × 60cm)
3
6
9
Per sheet. Usually billed only on bigger rigs.
Gobo (stock metal)
22
30
42
Per gobo. Returned after show.
Gobo (custom glass, 3-day turnaround)
120
150
220
Per gobo. Confirm if it's actually custom.
Haze fluid (5L)
75
95
130
One bottle per ~4-6 show days.
RCD / safety switch (in-line)
0
0
0
Should be ZERO — venue compliance, not hire add-on. If charged, push back.
Transport / delivery
120
220
400
Metro return trip. Regional adds 15-25%.
"Standby / call-out" fee
—
—
—
Suspicious. Ask for itemisation; often hidden labour double-charge.
How to apply this card
Take the quote line-by-line. Match each item to a row in this card.
If the quoted A$/day is above the High column, that line gets a question mark — ask the supplier why.
If a line on the quote doesn't appear on this card at all (e.g. "Compliance documentation A$1,400", "Pre-rig site visit A$650"), apply the bullshit detector from the separate resource.
Bring the marked-up quote back to the supplier. "Help us hit A$X — what comes out / what changes?"
Reality check. A school-musical lighting hire (60-fixture conventional + 4-8 movers + console + cabling + 2-day focus + 5-show run + bump in/out) should land between A$14,000 and A$22,000 in 2026 AU dollars. Anything north of A$28k for that scope needs a hard conversation.