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Home › Nursing pay › South Australia › Nurse Management (NUM / Director of Nursing)

South Australia Nurse Management (NUM / Director of Nursing) Pay 2026

South Australia's management track runs from associate unit managers up to directors of nursing, with pay set by the size and complexity of the service.

$107,487Starting salary at Associate Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager (Level 2), 1st increment ($54.21 an hour), before penalties and allowances.
$176,010Top of the scale on this page ($88.77 an hour).
Assistant in NursingEnrolled NurseRegistered NurseClinical Nurse (senior clinical grades)

Pay scale

Base rates, in force from 1 January 2026 (incl. 4% interim increase), before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (1 January 2026 (incl. 4% interim increase)).

GradeWeeklyHourlyAnnualised
Associate Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager (Level 2), 1st increment$2,059.99$54.21$107,487
Associate Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager (Level 2), 2nd increment$2,107.46$55.46$109,964
Associate Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager (Level 2), 3rd increment$2,154.90$56.71$112,440
Associate Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager (Level 2), 4th increment$2,202.38$57.96$114,917
Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager; Nurse/Midwife Consultant; Nurse/Midwife Educator; Nurse/Midwife Manager (Level 3), 1st increment$2,495.09$65.66$130,190
Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager / Consultant / Educator / Manager (Level 3), 2nd increment$2,550.84$67.13$133,099
Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager / Consultant / Educator / Manager (Level 3), 3rd increment$2,606.63$68.60$136,010
Advanced Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager / Consultant / Educator / Manager (Level 4), 1st increment$2,634.49$69.33$137,464
Advanced Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager / Consultant / Educator / Manager (Level 4), 2nd increment$2,704.19$71.16$141,101
Advanced Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager / Consultant / Educator / Manager (Level 4), 3rd increment$2,745.99$72.26$143,282
Nursing/Midwifery Director (Level 5), 5.1$2,871.42$75.56$149,827
Nursing/Midwifery Director (Level 5), 5.2$3,205.95$84.37$167,282
Nursing/Midwifery Director (Level 5), 5.3$3,373.22$88.77$176,010
Director of Nursing/Midwifery (Level 6), 6.2$3,038.68$79.97$158,554
Estimate your take-home →
★ Where the management dollars actually step up
The largest steps are between grades, not within them: Associate N/MUM tops at $2,202.38/wk, but moving to a Level 3 Unit Manager/Consultant/Educator/Manager role starts at $2,495.09/wk, and the Advanced (Level 4) grades reach $2,745.99/wk before you get to Director (Level 5) territory at $2,871.42–$3,373.22/wk. Because grade is set by the size and complexity of the service, moving to a larger or more complex facility is itself a direct pay step.

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 from $2,059.99/wk (Associate Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager Level 2) to $3,373.22/wk (Nursing/Midwifery Director Level 5.3). Your grade rises with the size and complexity of the unit or facility.
  • Moving from Associate N/MUM to a Level 3 Unit Manager/Consultant/Educator/Manager role lifts the base from about $2,060 to $2,495.09/wk, the clearest single step.
  • Nominated coordination roles attract the Responsibility Allowance of up to $8,586/yr ($4.33/hr) on top of base.
  • Hold a relevant postgraduate qualification for the qualification allowance of $3,573.70–$5,615.70/yr, plus the $2,547.70/yr Professional Development Allowance.
  • Take a rural/remote (Zone 2–4) posting for the Service Incentive Payment of up to $6,696.80/yr, plus a one-off relocation payment of $502–$837.

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 Allowance$2,547.70/yr (from 1 July 2025)
Paid into salary fortnightly (including during paid leave) to fund CPD for AHPRA registration. Increased each July 2023–2025 by $400 plus salary increases: it reached $2,547.70/yr from 1 July 2025.
Qualification allowance (Registered Nurses/Midwives)$3,573.70 / $4,594.60 / $5,615.70 per yr (from Jan 2025).
Annual allowance for a relevant additional qualification held beyond your base registration: 3.5% (hospital certificate or graduate certificate) = $3,573.70; 4.5% (graduate diploma) = $4,594.60; 5.5% (second degree, Masters or PhD) = $5,615.70 (from Jan 2025). Only the highest applicable allowance is paid.
Rural & Remote Service Incentive PaymentUp to $6,696.80/yr (Zone 4, Yr 5, from Jan 2025).
Annual incentive paid fortnightly to nursing/midwifery staff at sites in Zones 2, 3 or 4, escalating by year of service (Years 1–5; nothing after the 5th year in a specific Zone).
Rural & Remote one-off incidental (relocation) paymentZone 2 $502 / Zone 3 $668 / Zone 4 $837 (from Jan 2025).
A one-off incidental payment paid when you take up an appointment at a Zone 2, 3 or 4 site, on top of the annual Zone incentive. From first full pay period on/after 1 January 2025. Paid only once, at the time of taking up the appointment, and applies separately to each Zone.
Responsibility AllowanceUp to $8,586/yr ($4.33/hr) (from Jan 2025)
Annual/hourly allowance for nominated coordination/responsibility roles. From Jan 2025: DON-M classifications 6.1–6.3 = $4,294/yr ($2.17/hr); DON-M 6.4–6.5 = $7,162/yr ($3.61/hr); and up to $8,586/yr ($4.33/hr) for the highest band.
Uniform allowance$9.20/week (from Jan 2025)
Paid to full-time employees (pro-rata part-time, excluding casuals) required to wear a distinctive uniform/clothing item. $8.60 (2023) → $8.90 (2024) → $9.20 (2025). NOT payable where uniforms are provided free of cost, or during periods of leave.
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 South Australia?
In South Australia public health, a nurse manager earns from $2,059.99 per week ($107,487 a year) to $3,373.22 ($176,010) across the scale, before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.
What is the starting nurse manager salary in South Australia?
A first-step nurse manager in South Australia starts at $2,059.99 per week, about $107,487 a year ($54.21 an hour), before penalties and allowances.
Do South Australia nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?
Yes. On top of base pay, South Australia 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 South Australia nurse pay & conditions guide.

Work out your pay
Take-home calculator → SA 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 Nursing/Midwifery (SA Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022. Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.

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