Tasmania Nurse Management (NUM / Director of Nursing) Pay 2025–26
Tasmania's management grades (Grade 7a and above) cover nurse unit managers up to directors of nursing, with pay set by the size of the service.
In Tasmania public health, a nurse manager earns from $2,415.47 per week ($126,036 a year) to $3,502.09 ($182,734) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.
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 →
Pay scale
Base rates, in force from 1 December 2025 — before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (1 December 2025).
| Grade | Weekly | Hourly | Annualised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7a (Nurse Unit Manager / Nurse Manager / After Hours Nurse Manager), Year 0 | $2,415.47 | $63.56 | $126,036 |
| Grade 7a (Nurse Unit Manager / Nurse Manager / After Hours Nurse Manager), Year 1 | $2,469.29 | $64.98 | $128,844 |
| Grade 7a (Nurse Unit Manager / Nurse Manager / After Hours Nurse Manager), Year 2 | $2,523.07 | $66.40 | $131,650 |
| Grade 7a (Nurse Unit Manager / Nurse Manager / After Hours Nurse Manager), Year 3 | $2,547.64 | $67.04 | $132,932 |
| Grade 7b (Nurse Unit Manager - higher complexity / After Hours Nurse Unit Manager), Year 1 | $2,570.19 | $67.64 | $134,109 |
| Grade 7b (Nurse Unit Manager - higher complexity / After Hours Nurse Unit Manager), Year 2 | $2,617.36 | $68.88 | $136,570 |
| Grade 7b (Nurse Unit Manager - higher complexity / After Hours Nurse Unit Manager), Year 3 | $2,664.47 | $70.12 | $139,028 |
| Grade 7b (Nurse Unit Manager - higher complexity / After Hours Nurse Unit Manager), Year 4 | $2,690.45 | $70.80 | $140,384 |
| Grade 8 (Assistant Director of Nursing / Director of Nursing and/or Midwifery; also Nurse Practitioner), Level 1 | $2,712.01 | $71.37 | $141,509 |
| Grade 8 (Assistant Director of Nursing / Director of Nursing and/or Midwifery; also Nurse Practitioner), Level 2 | $2,733.54 | $71.94 | $142,632 |
| Grade 8 (Assistant Director of Nursing / Director of Nursing and/or Midwifery; also Nurse Practitioner), Level 3 | $2,845.42 | $74.88 | $148,470 |
| Grade 8 (Assistant Director of Nursing / Director of Nursing and/or Midwifery; also Nurse Practitioner), Level 4 | $2,957.17 | $77.82 | $154,301 |
| Grade 8 (Assistant Director of Nursing / Director of Nursing and/or Midwifery; also Nurse Practitioner), Level 5 | $3,156.10 | $83.06 | $164,681 |
| Grade 9 (Nursing Director / Executive Director of Nursing/Midwifery), Level 1 | $3,502.09 | $92.16 | $182,734 |
Ways to earn more
- Grade rises with the size and complexity of the unit or facility: Grade 7a (NUM) starts at $2,415.47/wk, Grade 7b (higher-complexity NUM) at $2,570.19/wk, Grade 8 (Assistant/Director of Nursing, also Nurse Practitioner) reaches $3,156.10/wk, and Grade 9 (Nursing Director) is $3,502.09/wk — moving to a bigger service is a direct pay step.
- Keep claiming the postgraduate qualification allowance — 4.0% (Graduate Certificate) up to 10.0% (doctorate) on your incremental point, which still applies at management grades.
- At Grade 8 or 9 you become eligible for a sabbatical development programme of up to 12 weeks' paid leave after five years' continuous service — a senior perk most never take up.
- Salary-package about $11,660/yr tax-free on top of your grade.
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.
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 Tasmania?
What is the starting nurse manager salary in Tasmania?
Do Tasmania nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?
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.