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Northern Territory Nurse Management (NUM / Director of Nursing) Pay 2026

The NT's management grades (N6 and above) cover senior nurses up to directors of nursing, with strong remote and retention money available on top.

$149,765Starting salary at N6 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 1 ($75.53 an hour), before penalties and allowances.

$189,196Top of the scale on this page (N8 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 3, $95.42 an hour).

Enrolled Nurse Registered Nurse Clinical Nurse (senior clinical grades)

Pay scale
Becoming a nurse manager
FAQ

Pay scale

Base rates, in force from 19 August 2025, before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (19 August 2025).

Grade	Weekly	Hourly	Annualised
N6 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 1	$2,870.24	$75.53	$149,765
N6 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 2	$2,985.08	$78.55	$155,757
N6 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 3	$3,015.20	$79.35	$157,329
N7 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 1	$3,224.43	$84.85	$168,246
N7 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 2	$3,340.05	$87.90	$174,279
N7 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 3	$3,373.78	$88.78	$176,039
N8 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 1	$3,473.32	$91.40	$181,233
N8 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 2	$3,589.71	$94.47	$187,306
N8 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 3	$3,625.93	$95.42	$189,196

Estimate your take-home →

Becoming a nurse manager

The nursing leadership and operations track. A Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) runs a single ward or unit (staffing, roster, budget, clinical governance) while staying a registered nurse; a Nurse Manager / Director of Nursing (DON) leads nursing across a facility or service, up to Executive Director of Nursing.

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

Ways to earn more

Management grades run $2,870.24/wk (N6.1) to $3,625.93/wk (N8.3); your grade tracks the size and complexity of the unit, facility or health service you lead.
N6 is Nurse/Midwife Consultant or Nurse Practitioner, N7 Director of Nursing/Midwifery, and N8 Senior/Executive Director. Each step to a larger remit is a direct pay band move.
Acting up pays the gap: the Higher Duties Allowance covers the full difference up to the higher classification's salary while you relieve in it.
Penalties and the remote loadings still apply. A remote posting adds the Attraction & Retention Incentive (up to $9,000 over 24 months) and a 100% rental concession on top of these rates.
Salary-package about $11,660/yr tax-free without reducing any penalty or allowance.

Pay grade in most public awards is driven by the size/complexity of the unit or facility you manage (a role-evaluation/'span of control' assessment), not by years of service, so moving to a larger hospital is often the real mechanism for a pay step up.

Allowances you can claim

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

Professional Development AllowanceReimbursement: $779/yr (1-2 yrs service) or $2,334/yr (more than 2 years).

Annual allowance to reimburse professional development costs. Reimbursement model (default for new claimants): $779/yr with 1-2 years service, $2,334/yr with more than 2 years of service. Employees already on the older upfront fixed-payment model instead receive a flat $1,666/yr.

Attraction and Retention Incentive AllowanceUp to $9,000 (Remote) over 24 months; $7,500 (Central Australia/Barkly), $5,000 (Katherine/Gove) and $4,000 (Darwin/Palmerston).

Lump-sum attraction + retention payments paid to ALL nurses and midwives, scaled by location. Attraction component: $1,000 (Darwin/Palmerston & Katherine/Gove), $1,500 (Central Australia/Barkly) and $2,000 (Remote), with further retention payments at 12 and 24 months bringing the total to between $4,000 and $9,000.

Remote Rental Concession100% rental concession

Remote nurses living in remote departmental (employer-provided) accommodation pay no rent at all, a full 100% concession. This is one of the largest hidden financial benefits of taking a remote posting.

Shift Responsibility AllowanceDifference up to the Nurse 3 (level 3.1) salary rate, plus shift penalties.

When no senior nurse (Nurse 3-6) is rostered in charge of a hospital ward, a Nurse 2 who takes on shift management responsibility for more than 5 hours is paid a higher duties allowance at the Nurse 3 (level 3.1) salary rate, along with any applicable shift penalties paid at the Nurse 3 rate.

Higher Duties AllowanceDifference up to the higher classification's salary.

When directed to temporarily perform duties at a higher classification, you're paid an allowance equal to the difference between your salary and the salary you would receive if promoted to that higher classification (or a pro-rata amount where you perform only part of the higher-level duties).

Uniform Allowance$592/yr (effective 09.08.2025)

Paid per annum to any employee who is NOT provided with a uniform. Scheduled increases: $542 (Aug 2022), $558/$559 (Aug 2023), $575 (Aug 2024), $592 (Aug 2025).

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 none of it reduces any penalty or allowance.

Where it leads next

Step up from here: Nurse Manager → Director of Nursing — see exactly what each step takes →

Frequently asked questions

How much does a nurse manager earn in Northern Territory?

In Northern Territory public health, a nurse manager earns from $2,870.24 per week ($149,765 a year) to $3,625.93 ($189,196) across the scale, before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.

What is the starting nurse manager salary in Northern Territory?

A first-step nurse manager in Northern Territory starts at $2,870.24 per week, about $149,765 a year ($75.53 an hour), before penalties and allowances.

Do Northern Territory nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?

Yes. On top of base pay, Northern 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 Northern Territory nurse pay & conditions guide.

Work out your pay

Take-home calculator → NT penalty & on-call rates Compare states

Keep more of it

Salary packaging Packaging calculator HECS/HELP Agency vs permanent

Pay figures are drawn from the Northern Territory Public Sector Nurses and Midwives' 2022-2026 Enterprise Agreement. Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.