Which state pays junior doctors the most? It changes with seniority — and with your hours
A like-for-like comparison of public-hospital doctor base pay across all eight states and territories, from intern to registrar. Every figure is a verbatim rate from the named medical-officer award or agreement.
- The re-ranker
- The hours catch
- The ranking flip
- Full pay ladder
- Shift loadings
- What's not comparable
- Sources
The career-stage re-ranker
Drag the slider to move up the training ladder and watch the states re-rank. Switch between annual base salary and hourly base pay — the order changes, because hours worked differ by state. Every bar is a base rate straight from the instrument.
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1st · most paidQueensland$94,670
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2ndTasmania$92,298
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3rdSouth Australia$91,757
Base salary, full-time. States without a separate pay point at a step show their nearest lower step on the same grade, flagged “top of scale”. Hourly = base ÷ ordinary hours ÷ 52.1786 weeks.
The hours catch
How the ranking changes from intern to registrar
Each line is one state’s rank position (1 = highest paid) across the training ladder, by annual base salary. Lines that climb are states that get relatively better the more senior you are.
Scroll the chart sideways to see every step →
Victoria is the biggest climber (7th→3rd); Queensland is the biggest faller (1st→6th). The chart shows annual base — remember WA (40h) and TAS registrars (43h) work longer weeks for theirs.
Full pay ladder, every state × every grade
Annual base salary at each grade-step. The highest figure in each row is highlighted. A blank means that state’s scale has no pay point at that grade. Column headers link to each state’s full pay & conditions guide; the hours each state rosters are noted.
| Grade | NSW38 hrs | VIC38 hrs | QLD38 hrs | WA40 hrs | SA38 hrs | TAS38 / 43 hrs | ACT38 hrs | NT38 hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | $80,638 | $85,494 | $94,670 | $90,864 | $91,757 | $92,298 | $88,485 | $90,150 |
| Resident yr 1 | $94,521 | $90,919 | $102,059 | $99,395 | $99,707 | $98,133 | $102,486 | $102,781 |
| Resident yr 2 | $103,961 | $98,562 | $109,583 | $108,776 | — | $105,029 | $111,826 | $109,661 |
| Resident yr 3 | $103,961 | $98,562 | — | $119,165 | — | $105,029 | $125,473 | $116,306 |
| Resident yr 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | $135,446 | $122,264 |
| Registrar yr 1 | $117,745 | $129,491 | $133,848 | $125,010 | $107,655 | $138,978 | $125,473 | $122,264 |
| Registrar yr 2 | $127,826 | $136,882 | $137,558 | $131,150 | $124,346 | $146,404 | $135,446 | $128,154 |
| Registrar yr 3 | $137,946 | $142,098 | $141,292 | $140,819 | $134,677 | $152,770 | $145,460 | $134,190 |
| Registrar yr 4 | $147,663 | $149,217 | $147,008 | $147,748 | $142,626 | $159,135 | $155,223 | $140,378 |
| Registrar yr 5 | — | $173,386 | $150,874 | $155,023 | $150,574 | $180,883 | — | $146,712 |
| Registrar yr 6 | — | $178,232 | $154,749 | $162,661 | $158,523 | $189,371 | — | $153,195 |
| Registrar yr 7 | — | — | — | $170,682 | — | $194,675 | — | — |
| Senior reg yr 1 | $166,025 | — | $170,214 | $183,317 | $163,291 | $180,883 | $173,760 | $166,617 |
| Senior reg yr 2 | — | — | $176,024 | $192,371 | $169,648 | $189,371 | — | $182,143 |
| Senior reg yr 3 | — | — | $181,824 | — | — | $194,675 | — | — |
| Senior reg yr 4 | — | — | $187,569 | — | — | $194,675 | — | — |
Base salaries are annual figures stated directly in each instrument. WA rosters 40 ordinary hours/week and TAS registrars 43; all other rows are 38 — use the “Per hour” toggle in the re-ranker to compare like-for-like.
Shift & weekend loadings by state
Penalty rates that sit on top of base pay. These are the loading rules, not a take-home estimate — overtime and rostering drive how much they’re actually worth.
| State | Evening | Night | Saturday | Sunday | Public holiday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales NSW | ×1.125 | ×1.25 | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×2.5 |
| Victoria VIC | ×1.25 | ×1.25 | ×1.5 | ×1.5 | ×2.5 |
| Queensland QLD | ×1.15 | ×1.2 | ×1.5 | ×2 | ×2.5 |
| Western Australia WA | ×1.2 | ×1.25 | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×2.5 |
| South Australia SA | ×1.125 | ×1.25 | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×2.5 |
| Tasmania TAS | ×1.25 | ×1.25 | ×1.5 | ×1.5 | ×2.5 |
| ACT ACT | ×1.125 | ×1.25 | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×2.5 |
| Northern Territory NT | ×1.15 | ×1.225 | ×1.5 | ×2 | ×2.5 |
Multipliers are total rates (e.g. ×1.5 = time and a half; ×2 = double time). Overtime is generally ×1.5 for the first hours then ×2. To turn these into your actual take-home, use the take-home calculator, which applies your roster, tax, HECS and salary packaging.
What this comparison does — and doesn’t — include
- Base award/agreement salary only. Overtime, on-call, evening/night and weekend penalties, allowances, superannuation and salary packaging all differ by state and add substantially to take-home pay — they’re not in this ranking. Use the take-home calculator to model them.
- Hours differ — use the hourly view. Most states roster 38 ordinary hours a week, but WA rosters 40 and TAS registrars 43. A higher annual figure can simply mean more rostered hours; the “Per hour” toggle is the fair like-for-like.
- No cost-of-living adjustment. There’s no sourced cost-of-living index in our data, so we never show a cost-of-living-adjusted salary. It’s a real factor we name but deliberately don’t compute.
- NSW rates are interim. The NSW figures are the current interim rates under Determination IB2026_007, with arbitration before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission still pending — they may change.
- Effective dates differ. Each figure is the rate currently in force under its instrument, but those dates span 2025–2026 — you’re comparing each instrument’s current rate, not a single snapshot date.
- “Same step” means same grade-year, not an identical job. States are aligned by grade and year, but training structures, accreditation and what each step requires differ, and ladders are unequal length — so the re-ranker shows a state at its nearest lower step where it has no separate pay point.
- Public hospital, salaried only. These are salaried public-hospital rates; private, locum and rural-generalist arrangements pay differently and aren’t covered here. Specialist/consultant pay is on each state’s consultant page.
Compare a specific state, or work out your take-home
Frequently asked questions
Which state pays junior doctors the most in Australia?
It depends on your stage and on whether you compare annual salary or hourly pay. Queensland pays interns the most ($94,670) and New South Wales the least ($80,638). By registrar year 4, Tasmania has the highest annual base ($159,135) — but it rosters 43 hours, so on an hourly basis ACT ($78.29/hr) comes out on top.
Where do interns get paid the most?
Queensland leads first-year (intern) base salary at $94,670, then Tasmania ($92,298) and South Australia ($91,757). New South Wales is lowest at $80,638.
Why do you show both annual and hourly pay?
Because ordinary hours differ by state: most roster 38 hours a week, but Western Australia rosters 40 and Tasmanian registrars 43. A bigger annual figure can simply mean more rostered hours, so hourly base pay is the only fair like-for-like comparison. Toggle between the two to see how the ranking changes.
Does the highest-paid state change as you become more senior?
Yes. Victoria climbs from 7th as an intern to 3rd by registrar year 4, while Queensland falls from 1st to 6th. The best state for a new intern is rarely the best for a senior registrar.
Why is NSW junior doctor pay so low?
New South Wales has the lowest intern base salary of any state. The figures shown are the current interim rates under Determination IB2026_007, with arbitration before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission still pending — so they may change. Every figure links to its source instrument.
Do these figures include overtime, on-call and allowances?
No — these are base award/agreement salaries only. Overtime, evening/night and weekend penalties, on-call, and salary packaging all differ by state and add substantially to take-home pay. Use the take-home calculator to model your actual roster.
Sources
Every figure is from one of these instruments
- New South Wales (38 hrs) — NSW Public Hospital Medical Officers (State) Award — Determination IB2026_007 (interim rates; IRC arbitration pending); rates effective first full pay period on or after 1 July 2025. View instrument.
- Victoria (38 hrs) — Doctors in Training (Victorian Public Health Sector) — AMA/ASMOF Single-Interest Enterprise Agreement 2022–2026; rates effective 1 March 2025. View instrument.
- Queensland (38 hrs) — Medical Officers’ (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (MOCA7) — Directive CB128; rates effective 1 July 2025. View instrument.
- Western Australia (40 hrs) — WA Health System Medical Practitioners — AMA Industrial Agreement 2024 (Schedule 1); rates effective 3 September 2025. View instrument.
- South Australia (38 hrs) — SA Health Salaried Medical Officers Enterprise Agreement 2025 (Schedule 1); rates effective first full pay period on or after 14 April 2026. View instrument.
- Tasmania (38 / 43 hrs) — Medical Practitioners (Tasmanian State Service) Agreement 2025 (3% AMA rollover of the 2022 Agreement); rates effective 1 January 2026. View instrument.
- ACT (38 hrs) — ACTPS Medical Practitioners Enterprise Agreement 2023–2026; rates effective 2023–2026 Determination (current). View instrument.
- Northern Territory (38 hrs) — Medical Officers (NTPS) Enterprise Agreement — OCPE published rates of pay; rates effective current NT Determination. View instrument.