Melbourne Security Rates: What Can You Use to Budget?
Metro Guards’ Melbourne security guard pricing guide gives indicative rates for the local market. The following figures apply to the categories shown. Ask for the rate for your exact date if you need cover on a Victorian public holiday.
- Static guard on an ordinary weekday day shift: About AUD $45–$60 per officer per hour.
- Static guard on a night or weekend shift: About AUD $55–$75 per officer per hour.
- Event security or crowd control: About AUD $55–$85 per officer per hour.
- Mobile patrols: Usually priced by visit, with the amount depending on access, scope and route.
- Christmas Day and other public holidays: Request the rate for the specific shift and check whether the quote includes GST.
The published ranges are market estimates, and there is no single Christmas Day rate across Melbourne. The same job can price differently if it needs a second officer, a different licence activity or a longer shift. Confirm whether any call-out or holiday change sits outside the amount you are comparing.
Use these estimates as a starting point for Christmas security guard rates. The Melbourne security guard hourly rate for your site depends on duties and dates. Calculate public holiday security guard cost from the rate your provider confirms for those hours.
Why Does the Price Change Over Christmas?
One Booking Can Include Several Rate Bands
Friday 25 December 2026 is Christmas Day in Victoria. Boxing Day falls on Saturday 26 December, with an additional public holiday on Monday 28 December. New Year’s Day falls on Friday 1 January 2027. Tag those dates in your roster before you request a quote.
A shift can begin on a weekday evening and finish on a public holiday. Ask the provider to show how it treats each portion of the shift. Fair Work’s Security Services Industry Award includes penalty rates where applicable. The relevant workplace instrument affects employee pay. The provider’s charge also reflects the contracted service and its operating costs.
A Posted Guard and a Patrol Are Billed for Different Work
A guard quote generally uses the number of officers and rostered hours. An eight-hour shift with two officers provides 16 officer-hours. A mobile patrol booking usually uses the number of visits and what each visit includes. A quick perimeter check and a route that needs access to several internal areas are different scopes.
If a facility must control the gate while drivers arrive, calculate those hours as a guard post. For the rest of the closure, decide which areas need regular inspections. That gives you a realistic basis for asking whether a mixed plan suits your site.
Extra Duties May Change the Quote
A remote site, several levels or an induction requirement may affect the scope. Ask whether the quote includes the agreed reports and handovers. If you need physical alarm attendance, check how the provider bills a call-out and whether the amount changes outside standard service hours.
Check mobile patrol pricing per visit. Compare per-visit pricing on the same inspection scope and list any call-out charges separately. If you need ongoing cover after the shutdown, ask for it as a separate line in the written quotation.
Three Examples for Building a Holiday Budget
Example 1: Single Officer for an Ordinary Night Shift
A Melbourne warehouse needs one officer for 10 hours on a night outside the public holiday dates. Using the published $55–$75 night and weekend range gives an indicative $550–$750 for that shift. Confirm tax treatment and extras in the written quote. A public holiday shift requires its own rate.
If the warehouse also needs a guard at the yard gate during a shift change, tell the provider how much overlap the job requires. Even an extra half-hour should have a place on the roster so the total reflects the cover you expect.
Example 2: Checks at an Empty Site for Seven Days
A closed office needs two checks each night for a week. That is 14 patrol visits. If the provider quotes a single per-visit amount, multiply it by 14. If holiday visits cost a different amount, add each group separately. Ask for any charges for alarm attendance or an extra visit after a trades call-out.
The comparison only holds if each visit includes the same duties. Give providers a list of the access points to inspect and state whether the route needs internal checks. Use the Christmas patrol planning guide to set visit windows around the actual closure.
Example 3: Two Short Guard Windows and Separate Patrols
A distribution centre expects deliveries for four hours on one date and six hours on another. A single post for those windows uses 10 officer-hours. For the closed periods, the site requests six patrol visits. Ask for each guard date and each patrol band to be listed. That makes changes easier to price if a carrier cancels or a holiday delivery moves.
If a second officer must check a dock while the first stays at the gate, add those overlap hours to the job. On-site guard services can be scoped by post and shift, which helps you see where extra hours come from.
For Christmas event security cost, calculate each officer’s full booked time, including any shift overlap while duties are handed over.
How Do You Estimate a Shift That Crosses Midnight?
A guard starts at 8 pm on Christmas Eve and signs off at 6 am on Christmas Day. For budgeting, that is four officer-hours before midnight and six after. Multiply each group by the rate the provider confirms for that part of the shift. If a second officer works only the final two hours, add those two officer-hours at the applicable rate.
Ask how the provider treats minimum bookings, relief or an overlap if the shift needs one. A rate multiplier quoted for employee wages should not be copied directly onto a client’s hourly rate. The written quote is what tells you how the provider prices the actual job.
Check Which Costs Only Apply if Something Changes
Separate the booked amount from the additions that depend on an event. Your roster may include two checks per night and extra attendance only if your duty manager requests it. Ask who can approve the extra charge, how it is recorded and whether the same conditions apply over the holiday.
If you need someone to meet a late contractor, ask whether the job is included in a visit or needs a standalone booking. The scope in the quote should tell you what happens if the contractor is delayed or leaves after the originally agreed time.
Build Your Quote From the Roster
Use the same categories when you ask each provider to quote. Count guard hours separately from visits and keep optional items apart from scheduled cover. The table shows what to enter for each line before you compare the GST-inclusive total.
| Quote item | Quantity to provide | Ask the provider to show |
|---|---|---|
| Static security | Officer-hours by shift type | Rate for each band, including hours after midnight |
| Mobile patrols | Visits by date and address | Price per visit, checkpoints and internal access |
| Alarm or extra visit | Number included, if any | Call-out charge and who can approve it |
| Relief and overlap | Extra hours by officer | Whether handover, breaks or minimum hours affect the total |
| Total payable | All scheduled services | GST-inclusive total and charges that may still apply |
How to Compare Two Written Security Quotes
- Dates and times: Check that both quotes use the same shift start and finish, including shifts that cross midnight.
- Officer count: Multiply each shift by the number of people required and check whether relief or overlap is included.
- Visit scope: Compare the number of patrols, the agreed checkpoints and any internal access duties.
- Additional charges: Check call-out terms, booking minimums, late changes and any cancellation charge.
- Total and GST: Compare the totals on the same tax basis and ask the provider to identify any costs that the total excludes.
If you are booking for an event, include the venue access times, the duties at entry and when the last attendees are due to leave. Event security and crowd control may need different personnel or duties from a guard checking a closed commercial site.
Check the Minimum Booking Before Cutting Hours
If a provider applies a minimum booking, trimming a scheduled shift by an hour may make no difference to the total. Ask the provider to show the billable hours as well as the hours the officer is rostered. Where your need varies by day, request separate totals for each option so you can see whether combining shorter windows changes the quote.
Where Can You Adjust the Budget Without Leaving a Gap?
Divide the roster into times when someone must stay on site and times when a physical check will do. Keep guard hours for staffed duties and use visits for approved inspection work. You can compare when to use static guards and mobile patrols before finalising the roster.
If you manage several branches, send each address with its own closure dates. One may need a guard for a late stocktake while the others only need scheduled visits. Request a total for the whole group and a breakdown by address so you can check which duties are included at each site.
For an overnight site that changes hands before reopening, include the final handover in both quotes. Ask each provider what it would charge to keep the post staffed if your returning team is delayed.
FAQs About Christmas Security Pricing
How Much Is a Guard on Christmas Day?
Ask for a public holiday quote for the exact hours and officer count. A site with an eight-hour static post has a different charge from an event that needs several licensed personnel. Confirm the rate and tax treatment in writing before you book.
Are Mobile Patrols Cheaper Than an On-Site Guard?
Patrols can cost less over a long closure if you only need periodic checks. Once you require a person at a gate or entrance throughout a shift, compare the cost of providing that duty rather than comparing one visit with one guard-hour.
Can Metro Guards Quote for a Short-Notice Booking?
Ask about availability and give the provider the duties, site address and first required shift. If you need immediate attendance or additional cover after the first shift, have both requirements included so you can see how each is priced.
Request a Christmas Security Quote
Send Metro Guards your suburb, shift dates and the duties you need covered. If you need patrols, give the number of visits and the points to check. We’ll quote based on the cover and availability for your dates.
