ACT Specialist Pay 2026–27
ACT specialist doctors are employed by Canberra Health Services under the ACT Public Sector Medical Practitioners Determination 2023–2026, a Fair Work Commission workplace determination made on 12 November 2025 after intractable-bargaining proceedings ([2025] FWCFB 261), operating in place of an enterprise agreement. VMO service contracts are governed by the Health (Visiting Medical Officer Core Conditions) Determination 2024 (NI2024-314), which sets the core conditions every ACT VMO contract must contain and publishes the sessional, fee-for-service and on-call rates.
Last updated: 29 July 2026
By Jacob Stretton, RN & final-year medical student · figures sourced from the public EBAs & the ATO · About & methodology →
Key takeaways
- These rates apply until a replacement agreement commences: the workplace determination passed its nominal expiry of 31 March 2026 and remains in force while bargaining continues.
- Superannuation is 12.5% from 1 January 2026. Private-practice scheme payments do not count for super (cl 47.10); the Medical Education Expenses and management allowances do.
The award / agreement behind these rates
These salaried rates come from ACT Public Sector Medical Practitioners Determination 2023–2026 (FWC Workplace Determination [2025] FWCFB 261, AG531082), read together with the determinations and bulletins listed under Sources. It sets the specialist salary scale, allowances, on-call rates and private-practice arrangements:
Which model applies?
Most Australian Capital Territory specialists work as Specialists, VMOs, or hold concurrent appointments across both models. For a national overview of how the two employment models differ on pay, leave, super and private practice, see staff specialist vs VMO explained.
Specialist
Salaried employee of Canberra Health Services under the FWC workplace determination. Band 1–5 + Senior Specialist ($204,936–$274,696) plus an elected private-practice scheme (Scheme A adds a fixed 20% of Scheme Pay). 12.5% superannuation from 1 January 2026. Salary packaging ~$9,010 FBT-free (standard public hospital rate).
Jump to Specialist ↓Visiting Medical Officer (VMO)
Engaged under the Health (Visiting Medical Officer Core Conditions) Determination 2024 (NI2024-314) and not an employee of the Territory (cl 3.1), on a published sessional hourly rate or fee for service. Leave of absence carries no payment (cl 18.1), but the Territory pays superannuation up to the maximum contribution base (cl 6.18).
Jump to VMO ↓Specialist salary
The determination publishes the full Specialist Band 1–5 and Senior Specialist scale in Annex A. The rates below are the final column, a 1% + $1,000 increase under cl 28.2.7 applying from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2025; on-call, private-practice scheme payments and other allowances are additional.
| Grade | Base salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist Band 1 | $204,936 | Entry level (Annex A). |
| Specialist Band 2 | $216,558 | Annex A published rate. |
| Specialist Band 3 | $228,168 | Annex A published rate. |
| Specialist Band 4 | $239,815 | Annex A published rate. |
| Specialist Band 5 | $251,445 | Annex A published rate. Band 5 may apply for advancement to Senior Specialist. |
| Senior Specialist | $274,696 | Top of the salaried scale (Annex A). |
| Post Graduate Fellow | $237,047 | Covered as a Senior Medical Practitioner (Annex A). |
Private practice
| Election | Cash effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Scheme A | Fixed 20% of Scheme Pay | 100% of base pay. Billings are largely retained by CHS as facility fees. |
| Scheme B | Up to 50% of Scheme Pay (billings-linked) | 100% of base pay. |
| Scheme C | Up to 133.33% of Scheme Pay (billings-linked) | 75% of base pay. |
| Pathology | Fixed 75% allowance | Separate codified scheme. |
| Radiology | Fixed allowance per Table 1 | Separate codified scheme. |
| Radiation Oncology | Not published here | Separate codified scheme; confirm the rate in your scheme documents. |
On-call, callback & penalty rates
| Payment type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| On-call allowance | 17.4% of Annex A annual pay (annual allowance) | Cl 43.3: paid when regularly required to be on-call or available for recall; pro-rated by your share of the roster (cl 43.4). Covers recall, including advice given without attending, and counts in the base for shift penalties and in Scheme Pay for private practice. |
| Overtime | None (no overtime clause applies to specialists) | The overtime clause (cl 36) covers 'Medical Officers', meaning interns through senior career medical officers, and that definition excludes Specialists and Senior Specialists. |
| Additional hours (cl 45.1) | 200% of base hourly rate | Base pay plus a 100% penalty per hour when the head of service requests additional hours to meet identified high demand. Excluded from superannuation and other entitlements. |
| Onerous hours allowance (cl 44) | 5% of base salary for the 4-week period at ≥200 hours; 10% over 240 hours | Alternative to time off in lieu (cl 46). Highest applicable rate only, pro-rata for part-time; not superannuable. |
| Shift penalties (rostered shift work only) | +20% weekday 6pm–midnight; +25% night; +50% Saturday; +100% Sunday; +150% public holiday | Cl 35: only when directed to work rosters, and only for shift work the Directorate requires that relates to direct patient care; calculated on Annex A base pay including the 17.4% on-call allowance where held (cl 35.3). Most CHS specialists are not shift-rostered. |
| Annual leave loading | 17.5%, capped | Cl 90.7.1: 17.5% of ordinary hourly rate on leave accrued, but capped at the equivalent of ABS male average weekly total earnings (cl 90.3). At specialist salaries the cap binds, so the loading is effectively about one week of average earnings, not 17.5% of your own pay. |
| Management allowance (cl 59) | Level 1 $28,367 / Level 2 $49,645 / Level 3 $70,918 per year | For defined management responsibilities; not cumulative. Counts for superannuation and in Scheme Pay, and is paid during paid leave. |
| Medical Education Expenses (MEE) | $19,707/year (cl 112.1, from 1 July 2025); CHS advertises $21,037 | Cash allowance paid fortnightly to TESL-eligible Specialists and Senior Specialists, counting as salary for superannuation ([2025] FWCFB 261). Cl 112.3 indexes it to ACT Treasury CPI projections each 1 July, and CHS currently advertises $21,037 a year, described there as a reimbursement cap. |
| Training, Education and Study Leave (TESL) | 160 hours (4 weeks) a year, full-time | Cl 111.2: paid leave for training and educational activities, pro rata for part-time and accruing to a maximum of eight years (cl 111.6). TESL eligibility is also the gate for the MEE allowance (cl 112.1). |
| Attraction & Retention Incentive | Set per position; $50,000–$75,000 on one specialist role gazetted 7 July 2026 | Not a rate in the determination: Annex B leaves it to the director-general's sole discretion position by position, and an ARIn may carry enhanced superannuation contribution rates as well as enhanced pay. Other current CHS specialist advertisements carry no ARIn, so read the advertisement for the position you are applying for. |
VMO sessional rates
ACT VMOs are not employees of the Territory (cl 3.1), so indemnity and income protection are yours to carry and leave of absence is unpaid, but the Territory does pay superannuation on your behalf up to the maximum contribution base (cl 6.18). Rates and core conditions are published in the Health (Visiting Medical Officer Core Conditions) Determination 2024 (NI2024-314), which commenced on 21 June 2024 and revoked the earlier NI2020-579.
Schedule 1 Item 3 prints base rates as at 1 July 2023. Item 3(5) then indexes the sessional, on-call and hardship rates by 4.1% from 1 July 2024 and by 2% each 1 July after that, so the rates in payment for 2026–27 sit above the printed figures, while the fee-for-service base moves 0% from 1 July 2026 and keeps tracking MBS variations.
| Service type | Rate per session (4 h) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visiting Medical Officer | $1,419.64 | Schedule 1 Item 3(2) hourly rate of $354.91 as printed, across a 4-hour session (Session is defined as four hours). Indexed under Item 3(5). |
| BreastScreen radiologist: 1st or 2nd screen readings and meetings | $1,526.52 | Item 3(2) hourly rate of $381.63 as printed, indexed under Item 3(5). |
| BreastScreen radiologist: 3rd screen readings and assessment clinics | $1,768.48 | Item 3(2) hourly rate of $442.12 as printed, indexed under Item 3(5). |
| Extra | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| On-call allowance | $394.74 per 24-hour period | Item 3(3) and cl 7.1: paid for each 24-hour period or part of one you are rostered on call. Not payable for periods you are on leave (cl 7.2). |
| Hardship allowance | $403.51 to $561.41 per 24-hour period, total | Item 3(4) lifts the on-call payment as the roster ratio tightens and cumulative call-backs rise, from 1 in 5 up to 1 in 2 with no advanced trainee registrar available. |
| Call-back loading | +15% / +25% / +35% / +60% | Item 3(6): +15% in hours, +25% outside them, +35% Sunday, +60% public holiday, on the Item 3(2) hourly rate. Two-hour minimum, with travel counted up to 15 minutes each way. |
| Digital call-back | Same loadings, 30-minute minimum | Item 3(6). If a digital call-back turns into an attendance, the whole period is paid as a normal call-back. |
| Continuity bonus | 5% of the previous 12 months of payments | Item 3(14): paid every three years of continuous service, provided you participated continuously in the on-call and service roster. |
Fee for service is one of three contract types priced in the same determination, alongside sessional and combined fee-for-service and sessional. The base fee for service rate is 133.73% of the current MBS rate (Item 3(1)), paid at 100% for routine work between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, 110% outside those hours, 135% on a Sunday and 160% on a public holiday.
Specialist vs VMO
| Feature | Specialist | VMO |
|---|---|---|
| Employment type | Salaried employee of Canberra Health Services | Independent contractor |
| Base pay | Band 1–5 + Senior Specialist ($204,936–$274,696) | Sessional $354.91/hr as printed, or fee for service at 133.73% of MBS (NI2024-314 Sch 1 Item 3) |
| A&R Incentive | Set per position under Annex B; $50,000–$75,000 on one specialist role gazetted 7 July 2026 | No |
| Relocation | Up to $55,000 advertised for interstate recruits (contract-based) | N/A |
| Annual leave | 5 weeks paid + 17.5% loading (capped, cl 90.3) | Up to 12 weeks leave of absence a year, unpaid (cl 18.1) |
| Professional development | 160 hours (4 weeks) paid TESL a year (cl 111.2) + MEE allowance | 2 weeks study and conference leave a year, unpaid, accruing to 4 (cl 18.1) |
| Sick leave | Paid | No |
| Superannuation | 12.5% of ordinary time earnings from 1 Jan 2026 (cl 54.5), +1% co-contribution available | Paid by the Territory, up to the maximum contribution base (cl 6.18) |
| On-call | 17.4% of Annex A annual pay (cl 43.3) | $394.74 per 24-hour period, plus hardship allowance (Sch 1 Item 3(3)–(4)) |
| Overtime | None; additional hours at 200% on request (cl 45.1) | N/A (per contract) |
| Ordinary hours | An average of 40 a week: 38 plus two reasonable additional hours (cl 23.1), and not rostered above an average of 40 (cl 23.2) | Set by contract |
| Time split | 80/20 clinical/non-clinical (cl 23.3) | N/A (per contract) |
| Insurance | WorkCover covered by employer | Self-funded medical indemnity + income protection |
| Career progression | Band 1 → Band 5 → Senior Specialist | No set progression |
| Salary packaging | ~$9,010 FBT-free (standard public hospital) | Not applicable |