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.
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.
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.
Leave, study & the full conditions
Leave and study support (annual, parental, long-service, study leave, the career-break scheme), the overtime, minimum-break and on-call rules, and the complete allowance list apply across all New South Wales nurse classifications — see the full 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.