New South Wales Clinical Nurse (CNS / CNC / NP) Pay 2025–26
The senior clinical track beyond the RN scale — clinical nurse specialists, educators, consultants and nurse practitioners. This is where postgraduate qualifications and specialty experience pay off, without moving into management.
In New South Wales public health, a clinical nurse earns from $2,222.30 per week ($115,956 a year) to $3,152.50 ($164,493) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.
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 1 July 2025 — before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry rate shown for each grade (1 July 2025); most carry their own increments.
| Grade | Weekly | Hourly | Annualised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Nurse / Midwife Specialist Grade 1 | $2,222.30 | $58.48 | $115,956 |
| Clinical Nurse / Midwife Specialist Grade 2 | $2,387.30 | $62.82 | $124,566 |
| Clinical Nurse / Midwife Educator | $2,312.30 | $60.85 | $120,653 |
| Clinical Nurse / Midwife Consultant Grade 1 | $2,671.50 | $70.30 | $139,395 |
| Clinical Nurse / Midwife Consultant Grade 2 | $2,780.00 | $73.16 | $145,056 |
| Clinical Nurse / Midwife Consultant Grade 3 | $2,944.30 | $77.48 | $153,629 |
| Nurse / Midwife Practitioner — 1st year | $2,944.30 | $77.48 | $153,629 |
| Nurse / Midwife Practitioner — 4th year | $3,152.50 | $82.96 | $164,493 |
Ways to earn more
- Clinical Nurse Specialist Grade 1 ($2,222.30/wk) is the first step past the 8th-year RN — a personal grading you earn with a relevant postgraduate qualification plus 12 months in the specialty, or four years' experience including three in the specialty.
- Clinical Nurse Consultant grades ($2,671.50–$2,944.30/wk) and Nurse Practitioner ($2,944.30–$3,152.50/wk) are the senior clinical ceilings.
- The higher-grade Continuing Education Allowance ($76.10–$91.40/wk) stacks on top for a relevant postgraduate diploma, masters or doctorate.
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.
Where it leads next
The other senior path is management — nursing/midwifery unit managers, nurse managers and directors of nursing.
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 New South Wales?
What is the starting clinical nurse salary in New South Wales?
Do New South Wales nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?
Annual, parental, long-service and study leave, plus overtime, on-call and the full allowance list, are set out in the New South Wales nurse pay & conditions guide.
Pay figures are drawn from the Public Health System Nurses' and Midwives' (State) Award 2025 (Serial C10152). Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.