Theatre nurse salary: award rates and what they mean for your pay

Theatre nurse salary under the Nurses Award

If you work as a theatre nurse (also called a perioperative nurse) in Australia, your minimum pay is set by the Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034) – a modern award that covers nurses and midwives in hospitals, clinics and other healthcare settings. The award doesn’t have a specific classification called “theatre nurse”. Instead, your pay depends on your level of qualification and experience, typically as an Enrolled Nurse or a Registered Nurse (RN) at Level 1, 2 or higher.

Award rates versus the national minimum wage

The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, which gives an annualised salary of $52,255 and a Salary Index of 48.2. Every theatre nurse covered by the award earns more than that. For example, an Enrolled Nurse at pay point 1 gets $30.00 per hour (index 55.4), and a Registered Nurse Level 1 at the entry point gets $32.09 per hour (index 59.2). Even the lowest nursing assistant rate ($27.65/hr) is above the minimum wage.

But the award is only the floor. Many public hospitals and private health networks have enterprise agreements that pay theatre nurses significantly more. The health care and social assistance industry index is 97.8 – very close to the national line of 100 – which suggests that average pay in the sector, including above-award agreements, is near the all-industries average.

How the Salary Index works for theatre nurses

The Salary Index compares a gross annual salary to the national full-time adult ordinary-time earnings of $108,352 (index 100). For a theatre nurse on the award, the calculation is straightforward:

• RN Level 1, pay point 1: $1,219.50/week × 52 = $63,414 → index 58.5
• RN Level 1, pay point 8: $1,465.50/week × 52 = $76,206 → index 70.3
• RN Level 2, pay point 1: $1,504.40/week × 52 = $78,229 → index 72.2

These figures are before tax and super. With the 12% super guarantee (from 1 July 2026), total remuneration is higher, but the index uses gross wages only.

Penalty rates and shift work

Theatre nurses often work shifts, weekends and public holidays. The award requires penalty loadings on top of the ordinary hourly rate:

• Saturday: 50% loading (time-and-a-half)
• Sunday: 75% loading
• Public holiday: 100% loading (double time)

A theatre nurse who regularly works weekends can see their effective hourly rate rise well above the base. For example, an RN Level 1 pay point 1 on a Sunday earns $56.16 per hour. Over a year, that can push the index into the 80s or higher.

Tax and take-home pay

Using the 2026–27 resident tax rates (with tax-free threshold and 2% Medicare levy), a theatre nurse earning $70,000 per year would take home about $55,000 after tax. The pay guides from Fair Work Ombudsman are the best place to check current award rates, but remember that your actual pay may be higher under an enterprise agreement.

State differences

The award applies nationally, but actual salaries vary by state. Public hospital wages in states like New South Wales and Victoria are often set by state-based enterprise agreements that can be 10–20% above the award. The ACT has the highest average earnings in Australia (index 109.9), while Tasmania is lowest (index 88.6). Theatre nurses in high-cost areas may negotiate higher starting rates.

Summary

A theatre nurse salary under the Nurses Award starts around $32 per hour for a new RN and can exceed $40 per hour for experienced Level 2 nurses. That’s well above the national minimum wage but below the all-industries average. With penalties, overtime and above-award agreements, many theatre nurses earn close to or above the national line. To see where your pay sits, use the Salary Index to compare your gross annual wage to the national benchmark.

---

Note: All award rates in this article are from the Nurses Award 2020 as at 1 August 2026, sourced from the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide. Actual pay may differ based on your employer, location and individual agreement.