When you're looking for an easy passive income, it can be tempting just to go for the ASX dividend shares that pay the highest yield.
But it's worth remembering that higher yields often mean higher risk.
Instead, you want to look for ASX dividend shares that give investors a reliable and consistent payout over a long-term period.
Here are three ASX dividend shares, each yielding a decent 5% to 6%, which I think are a great passive-income play.
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Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG)
From electricity and natural gas to solar and LPG, Origin Energy is a leading energy provider to homes and businesses throughout Australia.
Energy shares are a great option for passive income because they generate substantial cash flows, especially when energy prices are elevated. This allows them to provide high yields to shareholders.
Because Origin's assets operate under long-term contracts, often with rising income, it can also be seen as a defensive stock. After all, demand for electricity, gas, solar and LPG is unlikely to decline over the long term. Australians need power, regardless of where we are in the economic cycle.
In the first half of FY26, Origin Energy paid its investors 30 cents per share, fully franked. At the time of writing, its yield is around 5.18%.
Dexus (ASX: DXS)
Dexus is a major Australian property investor, developer, and manager. It has a large, high-grade office portfolio and a smaller industrial portfolio in Australasia. It also manages properties on behalf of third-party investors.
As a real estate investment trust (REIT), Dexus owns a large portfolio of office, industrial, and infrastructure rental assets that generate consistent and predictable income.
It's this diversity and reliable income that enable Dexus to pay a reliable dividend to its investors.
Dexus paid an unfranked interim dividend of 19.3 cents per share in February. At the time of writing, the ASX dividend shares yield around 5.76%.
Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP)
Centuria Industrial REIT is another real estate investment trust, but this one owns around $4 billion in purely industrial properties. These include manufacturing facilities, distribution warehouses, and data centres.
Like Dexus, Centuria Industrial REIT benefits from consistent rental income from its large portfolio of industrial properties in high-demand areas with low vacancy rates and strong rental growth.
Centria Industrial REIT pays dividends to investors quarterly. Its most recent payment was 4.2 cents per share in January, unfranked. It is scheduled to pay another 4.2 cents per unit, unfranked, in April. In FY25, the company paid investors an annual total dividend of 16.32 cents per share. At the time of writing, Centuria Industrial REIT's dividends yield around 5.52%.
