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Australian Capital Territory Clinical Nurse (senior clinical grades) Pay 2025–26

The ACT's senior clinical track sits in Registered Nurse Levels 2 and 3 — the clinical-specialist and advanced-practice grades above the base Level 1 scale.

In Australian Capital Territory public health, a clinical nurse earns from $2,162.59 per week ($112,841 a year) to $2,955.35 ($154,206) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.

Assistant in Nursing Enrolled Nurse Registered Nurse Nurse Management (NUM / Director of Nursing)

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★ The biggest lever beyond your increments

The senior clinical grades start around $2,162.59/wk (Registered Nurse Level 2 Pay Point 1) — well above the top of the base RN scale. Stepping into them with the right postgraduate qualifications and specialty experience is the largest pay jump available without moving into management.

Becoming a clinical nurse

The senior clinical track for RNs who go deep in one specialty rather than into management — Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) and Nurse Educator, and at the top the Nurse Practitioner (NP), who can autonomously assess, diagnose, prescribe and refer within scope.

Full pathway: how to become a clinical nurse in Australia →

Pay scale

Base rates, in force from 4 December 2025 — before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (4 December 2025).

Grade	Weekly	Hourly	Annualised
Registered Nurse Level 2 Pay Point 1	$2,162.59	$56.91	$112,841
Registered Nurse Level 2 Pay Point 2	$2,203.39	$57.98	$114,970
Registered Nurse Level 2 Pay Point 3	$2,244.12	$59.06	$117,095
Registered Nurse Level 2 Pay Point 4	$2,284.90	$60.13	$119,223
Registered Nurse Level 3 Grade 1 Pay Point 1	$2,461.89	$64.79	$128,458
Registered Nurse Level 3 Grade 1 Pay Point 2	$2,510.09	$66.06	$130,973
Registered Nurse Level 3 Grade 1 Pay Point 3	$2,558.31	$67.32	$133,489
Registered Nurse Level 3 Grade 2	$2,767.61	$72.83	$144,410
Nurse Practitioner	$2,955.35	$77.77	$154,206

Ways to earn more

The senior clinical grades span $2,162.59/wk (Registered Nurse Level 2 PP1) to $2,955.35/wk (Nurse Practitioner) — RN Level 3 Grade 2 alone is $2,767.61/wk.
Advancement to Level 2 is merit-based: apply for an established vacancy or for 'personal classification' against the selection criteria, supported by two referee reports (clause 23 and Schedule 5) — it is not automatic with years served.
Stack a postgraduate qualification on top: the qualification allowance is 4.5% of the RN minimum for a Postgraduate Diploma and 5.5% for a Masters (up to about $175/fortnight), payable in addition to your grade.
These grades still attract shift penalties — 25% weekday nights, 50% Saturday and 75% Sunday — on top of the higher base rate.
The agreement guarantees at least 25% of each clinical unit's nursing workforce is classified at Level 2 (clause 25.2), so eligible specialists have a standing route up.

CNS, CNC and Nurse Educator are pay classifications set by each state's nursing award — eligibility (years of experience, whether a postgraduate qualification is mandatory) varies by state and employer, and holding a Master's alone doesn't confer the grade. Only Nurse Practitioner is a fixed national NMBA endorsement.

Allowances you can claim

On top of base pay — the allowances most relevant to this role.

Postgraduate / further-education qualification allowance$101.78–$175.00/fortnight (from 04/12/25); the rate depends on your qualification level.

Fortnightly allowance for holding a qualification ADDITIONAL to the one needed to register. EN with further quals 3.5%; RN/RM Honours/Conversion degree or Postgraduate Certificate also 3.5%, with higher rates for a Postgraduate Diploma or above.

Professional Development Allowance$750/yr (>=0.5 FTE, AHPRA-registered) or $375/yr if below 0.5 FTE.

Annual cash allowance to support professional development, paid automatically in the first full pay period in July each year (from July 2024). $750 if you work at or above 0.5 FTE and are AHPRA-registered, otherwise $375.

Uniform allowance$517.27/yr (from 04/12/25)

Paid where the head of service requires you to wear a uniform. NOT paid if the ACTPS provides the uniform. Most recent in-force rate is $517.27 per annum (column dated 04/12/25).

Laundry allowance$15.65/fortnight (from 04/12/25)

Paid where you are required to wear AND launder a uniform. Importantly, it is ALSO payable if you are NOT required to wear a uniform but perform clinical duties involving direct client contact.

Salary packaging~$11,660/yr tax-free

As a public-hospital employee you can package about $9,010 of everyday expenses plus ~$2,650 of meal entertainment FBT-free, plus a novated car lease — and it doesn't reduce any penalty or allowance.

Where it leads next

Step up from here: Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) · Nurse Practitioner (NP) · Nurse management — see exactly what each step takes →

Frequently asked questions

How much does a clinical nurse earn in Australian Capital Territory?

What is the starting clinical nurse salary in Australian Capital Territory?

A first-step clinical nurse in Australian Capital Territory starts at $2,162.59 per week — about $112,841 a year ($56.91 an hour) before penalties and allowances.

Do Australian Capital Territory nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?

Yes — on top of base pay, Australian Capital Territory public-health nurses receive shift loadings for afternoon, night and weekend work, plus overtime and a range of allowances.

Annual, parental, long-service and study leave, plus overtime, on-call and the full allowance list, are set out in the Australian Capital Territory nurse pay & conditions guide.

Pay figures are drawn from the ACT Public Sector Nursing and Midwifery Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026. Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.