Nursing salary in Australia: award rates, median earnings, and what you take home

What is a nursing salary in Australia?

A nursing salary in Australia depends on the type of nurse, experience level, employer, and whether you work in the public or private sector. The most reliable benchmarks come from two sources: the median earnings published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the minimum award rates set by the Fair Work Commission under the Nurses Award 2020.

This guide explains where nursing salaries sit on the Salary Index, what you can expect to earn as a registered nurse, enrolled nurse, or nursing assistant, and how superannuation and tax affect your take-home pay.

Median nursing salary: $2,192 per week

According to Jobs and Skills Australia, the median full-time weekly earnings for registered nurses is $2,192. That figure comes from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, and covers full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate.

On the Salary Index, the national line is set at $2,083.70 per week (full-time adult ordinary-time earnings). So the median nursing salary sits at an index of 105.2 — meaning the typical registered nurse earns about 5% more than the average worker across all occupations.

For context, the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $1,004.90 per week (index 48.2. The median nursing salary is more than double that.

Award rates under the Nurses Award 2020

The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes the Nurses Award 2020, which applies to most private-sector nurses. The award sets minimum weekly pay rates for each classification. Here are key rates effective from 1 August 2026:

• Registered nurse Level 1, pay point 1: $1,219.50/week ($32.09/hr)
• Registered nurse Level 1, pay point 8: $1,465.50/week ($38.57/hr)
• Registered nurse Level 2, pay point 4: $1,580.30/week ($41.59/hr)
• Registered nurse Level 3, pay point 4: $1,720.10/week ($45.27/hr)
• Registered nurse Level 4, grade 3: $2,111.60/week ($55.57/hr)
• Registered nurse Level 5, grade 6: $2,706.90/week ($71.23/hr)
• Nurse practitioner 1st year: $1,877.00/week ($49.39/hr)
• Enrolled nurse pay point 1: $1,139.90/week ($30.00/hr)
• Nursing assistant 1st year: $1,050.70/week ($27.65/hr)

These rates include penalty loadings for Saturday (50% extra), Sunday (75% extra), and public holidays (100% extra). The award also covers casual loadings and shift allowances.

It's important to note that many nurses, especially in public hospitals, are covered by enterprise agreements that pay above the award. The median earnings of $2,192 are well above the award minimum for a Level 1 nurse, reflecting experience, penalties, and agreements.

How superannuation adds to your nursing salary

From 1 July 2026, the superannuation guarantee is 12% of ordinary-time earnings. For a nurse on the median $2,192 per week (annualised $113,984), the employer must contribute $13,678 per year into super. That's on top of your gross salary.

The maximum contribution base for super is $270,830 per quarter (2026–27), so most nurses will have the full 12% applied.

Tax on a nursing salary

Using the 2026–27 resident tax rates (with tax-free threshold):

• Nil tax on first $18,200
• 15% on income from $18,201 to $45,000
• 30% on income from $45,001 to $135,000
• 37% on income from $135,001 to $190,000
• 45% on income above $190,000

Plus the Medicare levy of 2% on taxable income.

For a nurse earning the median $113,984:

• Tax on $95,784 (above $18,200): $4,020 (first bracket) + $15,235.20 (second bracket) = $19,255.20
• Medicare levy: $2,279.68
• Total tax: $21,534.88
• Take-home pay: $92,449.12 per year, or about $1,777 per week.

This estimate ignores HELP repayments, salary sacrifice, or the Medicare levy surcharge. Actual take-home will vary.

Nursing salary by state and industry

The Salary Index provides state benchmarks. For health care and social assistance, the industry index is 97.8 (slightly below the national line). However, nursing salaries vary by state due to different enterprise agreements and cost-of-living adjustments. States with higher indexes (like ACT at 109.9 and WA at 106.9) often have higher pay for nurses.

Key takeaways

• The median nursing salary is about $2,192 per week, index 105.
• Award minima range from $1,050 to $2,706 per week depending on classification.
• Super adds 12% on top, and tax takes roughly 19% of gross for a median earner.
• Actual pay can be higher with penalties, overtime, and enterprise agreements.

For more detail, see our pay guides and how the index works. You can also compare nursing salaries across states and industries.