Nurse Practitioner Pay by State (2026): Public-Sector Base Rates

What a Nurse Practitioner (NP) is paid in the Australian public system depends on the state and, crucially, on how each system classifies the role. Some states publish a distinct NP pay line; others fold NP into a senior-nurse grade. Here is the current public-sector award/EBA base rate for every state and territory, straight from the primary instruments — with the figures we can't yet confirm to a primary source clearly flagged rather than guessed.

Nurse Practitioner base pay by state (public sector)

Base rates are the ordinary-hours award/EBA figures from each state's public-sector Nurses and Midwives instrument (see Sources). Do not read a weekly figure as if it were annual, or vice versa — as a rough guide, annual ÷ 52.18 ≈ weekly on a 38-hour ordinary week, but the exact conversion depends on each instrument. For South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory the classification is confirmed but the current dollar figures are not yet verified against the official instrument, so no number is shown for those states.

Distinct NP line vs folded into a senior grade

The single biggest thing to understand about NP pay is that states don't structure it the same way:

• Distinct NP pay line — NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS, ACT. These instruments name the classification. NSW has a four-step "Nurse/Midwife Practitioner" scale; VIC has "Nurse Practitioner Yr 1 / Yr 2" at grades CAPR 7.1 and 7.2; QLD has a Nurse Grade 8 line literally titled "Nurse Practitioner"; TAS titles its Registered Nurse Grade 8 as "Nurse Practitioner"; and the ACT publishes a stand-alone single-step "Nurse Practitioner" rate.
• Folded into a senior grade — WA and SA. Western Australia has no separate NP salary: an NP "will be classified as a Senior Registered Nurse", at not less than SRN/M Level 3, with the actual level set by a work-value assessment up the SRN/M scale. South Australia folds NP into the RN/M Level 4 band, a multi-classified band it shares with Advanced Nurse/Midwife Unit Managers, Consultants, Educators and Managers.
• NT is a hybrid. The endorsed NP maps to the Nurse 6 band and the NP Candidate to Nurse 5. Because advanced NT nursing roles span Nurse 6–8 and a Clinical Nurse Consultant also sits at Nurse 6, the exact pay-point depends on the specific position rather than a single fixed figure.

Queensland's separate Nurse Practitioner allowance

Queensland is the clearest example of why a base rate alone understates NP pay. On top of the Nurse Grade 8 base ($157,579–$164,519/yr from 1 April 2026), endorsed NPs who are employed or required to practise as an NP receive a separate Nurse Practitioner allowance of $236.25/fortnight under Clause 32 of the certified agreement. That is why QLD effectively "folds" NP into Grade 8 base plus an allowance rather than a single higher scale — and why any comparison that ignores the allowance undercounts Queensland. Several jurisdictions also pay post-graduate qualification allowances on top of base; check your own instrument for what applies.

A note on South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory

For these three, we can confirm how the NP is classified from the primary agreements — SA at RN/M Level 4, TAS at Registered Nurse Grade 8, NT in the Nurse 6 band — but we have not been able to confirm the current dollar figures against the official government instrument, and in Tasmania's case secondary sources even disagree about which grade the NP sits at. Rather than publish a number we can't stand behind, the table links the official instrument for each so the current rate can be read at source:

• South Australia is also mid-cycle: the agreement nominally expired on 31 July 2025, with a +4% increase backdated to 1 January 2026 (and a further +2% from October 2026) under an interim deal, and a replacement agreement being negotiated. Verify the RN/M Level 4 rate on the SA Health enterprise-agreement page.
• Tasmania: the "Grade 8 = Nurse Practitioner" classification is verified from the primary agreement, but the dollar figures are not — verify on the Tasmanian Department of Health salary-rates page.
• Northern Territory: the Nurse 6 band mapping is confirmed, but verify the current Nurse 6 pay-points on the OCPE rates-of-pay page and note the pay-point can vary by role.

Comparing across states fairly

Two traps make cross-state NP comparison easy to get wrong:

• Weekly vs annual. NSW and VIC quote weekly base; QLD, WA, SA, TAS, NT and ACT quote annual (QLD also per-fortnight and per-hour). Convert consistently before comparing — annual ÷ 52.18 ≈ weekly on a 38-hour ordinary week — and state the assumption rather than eyeballing it.
• "Top step" isn't equivalent. NSW, VIC and QLD have multiple NP increments; the ACT publishes a single NP rate; and WA and SA depend entirely on where the individual role is assessed on the senior-nurse scale. Comparing a state's top increment against another's floor is misleading.

To see any of these on your own tax, super and roster, model your state and step in the nurse take-home calculator, or compare base rates across grades on nurse pay by state.

FAQ

How much does a Nurse Practitioner earn in the Australian public system?

It depends on the state and how each system classifies NPs. On a comparable basis, current public-sector NP base pay is roughly $150k–$165k/yr. Weekly-rate states: NSW pays an NP $2,944.30/wk (1st year) rising to $3,152.50/wk (4th year & thereafter) under the PHS Nurses' & Midwives' (State) Award 2025 (from 1 July 2025); VIC pays $2,870.40/wk (Yr 1) and $2,924.90/wk (Yr 2) under the 2024–2028 agreement (in-force 11 May 2026 column). Annual-rate states: QLD Nurse Grade 8 (titled 'Nurse Practitioner') is $157,579–$164,519/yr from 1 Apr 2026 PLUS a $236.25/fortnight NP allowance; ACT pays a flat $154,206/yr from 4 Dec 2025; WA classifies NPs as Senior Registered Nurse (min. Level 3 = $137,294/yr from 12 Oct 2025). SA folds NP into RN/M Level 4, TAS into RN Grade 8, and NT into the Nurse 6 band — current dollar figures for SA, TAS and NT aren't yet confirmed to a primary source, so check the linked instrument on each. Figures are award/EBA BASE only — they exclude super, penalties, overtime and allowances.

Which states have a dedicated Nurse Practitioner pay classification, and which fold it into a senior-nurse grade?

DISTINCT NP pay line: NSW (Nurse/Midwife Practitioner, 4 year-steps), VIC (Nurse Practitioner Yr1/Yr2 at grades CAPR 7.1/7.2), QLD (a Nurse Grade 8 line literally titled 'Nurse Practitioner', plus a separate NP allowance), TAS (Registered Nurse Grade 8 = Nurse Practitioner), and ACT (a stand-alone 'Nurse Practitioner' rate). FOLDED into a senior grade: WA — an NP 'will be classified as a Senior Registered Nurse', not less than SRN/M Level 3, with the exact level set by a work-value assessment; and SA — NP sits in the multi-classified RN/M Level 4 band shared with Advanced Nurse Unit Managers/Consultants/Educators/Managers. NT is a hybrid: the endorsed NP maps to the Nurse 6 band and the NP Candidate to Nurse 5.

Do these figures include superannuation, penalties or the Nurse Practitioner allowance?

No — every figure here is the AWARD/EBA BASE rate (ordinary hours) only. It excludes employer super (e.g. 12% in several states), shift/weekend penalties, overtime, on-call and qualification allowances. Queensland is the key example of why base alone understates NP pay: on top of the Grade 8 base, endorsed QLD NPs who are employed or required to practise as an NP receive a Nurse Practitioner allowance of $236.25/fortnight (Clause 32). Several jurisdictions also pay post-graduate qualification allowances (e.g. NT). Always present the base rate and then note the add-ons separately.

Are the weekly and annual figures directly comparable across states?

Not without care. NSW and VIC publish WEEKLY base rates; QLD, WA, SA, TAS, NT and ACT publish ANNUAL rates (QLD also gives per-fortnight and per-hour). To compare, convert consistently: annual ÷ 52.18 ≈ weekly, and weekly base assumes a 38-hour ordinary week. Do not silently mix them — state the assumption. Also, the 'top' step is not equivalent across states: NSW/VIC/QLD have multiple NP increments, whereas ACT publishes a single NP rate and WA/SA depend on where the individual role is assessed on the senior-nurse scale.

Which instrument and effective date applies to each state right now (July 2026)?

NSW: PHS Nurses' & Midwives' (State) Award 2025, rates from the first full pay period on/after 1 July 2025 (incorporating the NSW IRC 10% RN adjustment). VIC: Nurses and Midwives (Victorian Public Sector) Single Interest Employer Agreement 2024–2028, in-force 11 May 2026 pay column (next rise 30 Nov 2026). QLD: Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health and Dept of Education) Certified Agreement (EB12) 2025, rates from 1 April 2026. WA: WA Health–ANF Registered Nurses, Midwives and Enrolled (Mental Health/Mothercraft) Nurses Industrial Agreement 2024, rates from 12 Oct 2025. ACT: ACTPS Nursing and Midwifery EA 2023–2026, final increase from 4 Dec 2025. SA: Nursing/Midwifery (SA Public Sector) EA 2022 (nominally expired 31 Jul 2025), current pay = 2025 rates + 4% backdated to 1 Jan 2026 (further +2% Oct 2026). TAS: Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Agreement 2019 / Award No.3 of 2024, rates effective 1 Dec 2025.

Why do some published NSW NP figures differ (e.g. $2,756.90 vs $2,944.30 for 1st year)?

Because in 2025 there were two overlapping NSW instruments both 'effective 1 July 2025'. The older PHS Nurses' & Midwives' (State) Award 2023, as varied, shows NP 1st year at $2,756.90/wk (a +3% interim increase). The NEW PHS Nurses' & Midwives' (State) Award 2025 — which incorporated the larger NSW IRC wage adjustment (10% for RNs) — shows NP 1st year at $2,944.30/wk and 4th year at $3,152.50/wk. The 2025 Award figures are the correct current ones; the 2023-Award $2,756.90 line is superseded. This is a genuine trap: cite the 2025 Award.

Sources & methodology

Base rates and classifications are drawn from each state's current public-sector Nurses and Midwives award or enterprise agreement. NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and ACT figures are confirmed to the primary instrument. For South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory the classification is primary-verified but the current dollar figure is not yet confirmed to a primary source, so those cells link the official instrument for verification rather than stating a number. All figures are award/EBA base for ordinary hours and exclude super, penalties, overtime, on-call and allowances. Nothing here is personal financial advice.

• NSWNMA Pay Calculator — Public Health System Nurses' & Midwives' (State) Award 2025 (from 1 July 2025) — NSW, primary
• Nurses and Midwives (Victorian Public Sector) Single Interest Employer Agreement 2024–2028 [2024] FWCA 3908 — VIC, primary (NP table, Appendix 2)
• Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health and Department of Education) Certified Agreement (EB12) 2025 — QIRC 2025_cb126 — QLD, primary
• WA Health – ANF Registered Nurses, Midwives and Enrolled (Mental Health/Mothercraft) Nurses Industrial Agreement 2024 — WA, primary
• ACT Public Sector Nursing and Midwifery Enterprise Agreement 2023–2026 — ACT, primary (Schedule 1)
• Nursing/Midwifery (SA Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement — SA Health official page (verify SA Level 4 figures here)
• Tasmanian Department of Health — Nurses and Midwives salary rates (official current rates; verify TAS Grade 8 figures here)
• NT OCPE — Nurses and midwives NTPS rates of pay (official; verify NT Nurse 6 figures here)