Contracts & Clients
How to Find Freelance Work in Australia
Where freelance work actually comes from in Australia: referrals, platforms, agencies, and your existing network.
You've got your ABN and your rate. Now you need clients.
Where work comes from
50–70% of freelance work is referrals. The most important thing you can do is great work and making it easy for people to send others your way.
Three things make you referable: good work, being easy to work with, and people being able to describe what you do in one sentence. "She does brand identity for food businesses" works. "She does design and some strategy and websites sometimes" doesn't.
Your options
Former colleagues and industry contacts. They already know your work. Reach out.
Upwork, Expert360. Useful early, but 10–20% fees and you build their reputation, not yours.
Agencies (Hays, Robert Half, Aquent) take 15–30% but handle acquisition. Good for baseline income while you build direct relationships.
The feast/famine cycle hits everyone. Fix: keep marketing even when busy, and build a financial buffer so quiet months aren't a crisis.
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Want the complete picture?
The complete guide to freelancing in Australia. Tax, super, BAS, contracts, and pricing, explained step by step.