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Tasmania Clinical Nurse (senior clinical grades) Pay 2025–26

Tasmania's senior clinical grades (Grade 4 and above) sit above the Grade 3 registered nurse, rewarding postgraduate qualifications and experience.

In Tasmania public health, a clinical nurse earns from $1,963.24 per week ($102,439 a year) to $2,382.84 ($124,333) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.

★ The biggest lever beyond your increments
The senior clinical grades start around $1,963.24/wk (Grade 4 (RN/RM, Clinical Coach), Year 1) — well above the top of the base RN scale. Stepping into them with the right postgraduate qualifications and specialty experience is the largest pay jump available without moving into management.

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 December 2025 — before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (1 December 2025).

GradeWeeklyHourlyAnnualised
Grade 4 (RN/RM, Clinical Coach), Year 1$1,963.24$51.66$102,439
Grade 4 (RN/RM, Clinical Coach), Year 2$2,006.28$52.80$104,685
Grade 4 (RN/RM, Clinical Coach), Year 3$2,049.40$53.93$106,935
Grade 4 (RN/RM, Clinical Coach), Year 4$2,072.33$54.53$108,131
Grade 4 (RN/RM, Clinical Coach), Year 5$2,092.33$55.06$109,175
Grade 5 (Clinical Nurse Specialist / Clinical Coordinator / Associate Nurse Unit Manager), Year 1$2,103.68$55.36$109,767
Grade 5 (Clinical Nurse Specialist / Clinical Coordinator / Associate Nurse Unit Manager), Year 2$2,135.46$56.20$111,425
Grade 5 (Clinical Nurse Specialist / Clinical Coordinator / Associate Nurse Unit Manager), Year 3$2,178.46$57.33$113,669
Grade 5 (Clinical Nurse Specialist / Clinical Coordinator / Associate Nurse Unit Manager), Year 4$2,198.22$57.85$114,700
Grade 5 (Clinical Nurse Specialist / Clinical Coordinator / Associate Nurse Unit Manager), Year 5$2,219.55$58.41$115,813
Grade 6 (Clinical Nurse Consultant / Clinical Nurse Educator / Nurse Practitioner Candidate / Project or Research Nurse), Year 1$2,267.16$59.66$118,297
Grade 6 (Clinical Nurse Consultant / Clinical Nurse Educator / Nurse Practitioner Candidate / Project or Research Nurse), Year 2$2,317.58$60.99$120,928
Grade 6 (Clinical Nurse Consultant / Clinical Nurse Educator / Nurse Practitioner Candidate / Project or Research Nurse), Year 3$2,368.06$62.32$123,562
Grade 6 (Clinical Nurse Consultant / Clinical Nurse Educator / Nurse Practitioner Candidate / Project or Research Nurse), Year 4$2,382.84$62.71$124,333

Ways to earn more

  • Move up the senior clinical ladder: Grade 4 (Clinical Coach) starts at $1,963.24/wk, Grade 5 (Clinical Nurse Specialist / ANUM) at $2,103.68/wk, and Grade 6 (Clinical Nurse Consultant / Educator / NP Candidate) tops at $2,382.84/wk.
  • Stack the postgraduate qualification allowance — 4.0% (Graduate Certificate) up to 10.0% (PhD or doctorate) on your incremental point, paid for as long as you work in the relevant area.
  • Work nights for a 27.5% penalty on base (55% on a permanent non-rotating night roster) and afternoons for 15% — senior-grade penalties are calculated on a higher base.
  • At a defined Remote Site, claim $3,797/yr plus a 10% salary allowance on your incremental point.
  • Salary-package about $11,660/yr tax-free on top of grade and allowances.

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.

Postgraduate qualification allowance — RN/MidwifeGraduate Cert 4.0% / PG Dip or Degree 6.5% / Masters 7.5% / PhD or Doctorate 10.0%
Probably the single most-overlooked money lever. If you hold a relevant postgraduate qualification AND work in an area relevant to it, you get an ongoing % allowance calculated on your salaried incremental point, paid for as long as you keep working in that relevant area.
Remote & Rural Professional Development Allowance — REMOTE sites$3,797/yr PLUS +10% of salaried incremental point
BIG one for remote nurses. If you work at a defined Remote Site you get a Professional Development Allowance of $3,797/yr AND an additional 10% salary allowance on your salaried incremental point, payable for the time you work there.
District (isolation) allowance — Category R remote$4,942.00/yr (with dependants) / $2,470.00/yr (no dependants)
If permanently stationed in a Category R remote location — including the Bass Strait Islands, Maria Island and Bruny Island — you can be paid a district allowance to help offset the higher cost of living in an isolated area.
Kilometreage — district / special vehicle add-onsCat R: $30.49/mo + $12.21 per 1600 km; Cat B: $20.18/mo + $12.21 per 1600 km
On top of the per-km rate, extra allowances if you're stationed in a district allowance area (Category R or B) or use a special vehicle. Includes utility/4WD/special-type vehicles, which attract an extra $12.21 per month.
District (isolation) allowance — Category B$2,470.00/yr (with dependants) / $1,235.00/yr (no dependants)
Category B covers locations under the Commonwealth Taxation Zone B description (an 'isolated area', which the award says includes King Island, Flinders Island, Cape Barren Island, Maria Island and Bruny Island).
Uniform allowance$500/yr
If you provide direct care but are required NOT to wear a uniform (the award names mental health and child & family health nurses as examples), you get a flat uniform allowance of $500/yr, paid from the first full pay period on or after 1 February each year (pro rata if you work part-time).
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 it doesn't reduce any penalty or allowance.

Where it leads next

Step up from here: Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) · Nurse Practitioner (NP) · Nurse managementsee exactly what each step takes →

Frequently asked questions

How much does a clinical nurse earn in Tasmania?
In Tasmania public health, a clinical nurse earns from $1,963.24 per week ($102,439 a year) to $2,382.84 ($124,333) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.
What is the starting clinical nurse salary in Tasmania?
A first-step clinical nurse in Tasmania starts at $1,963.24 per week — about $102,439 a year ($51.66 an hour) before penalties and allowances.
Do Tasmania nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?
Yes — on top of base pay, Tasmania 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 Tasmania nurse pay & conditions guide.

Pay figures are drawn from the Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Agreement 2023. Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.