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

Victoria's senior clinical track — clinical nurse and midwife specialists, consultants and educators — sits above the Grade 2 RN scale, rewarding postgraduate qualifications and specialty experience. It runs from Clinical Nurse Specialist up to Clinical Nurse Consultant E, plus the Nurse Practitioner stream.

In Victoria public health, a clinical nurse earns from $1,836.90 per week ($95,847 a year) to $3,227.10 ($168,385) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.

Assistant in Nursing Enrolled Nurse Registered Nurse Nurse Management (NUM / Director of Nursing)

Estimate your take-home →

★ First senior grade: what it actually takes

Clinical Nurse Specialist ($2,151.50/wk) is the first rung above the base RN scale, and the eligibility is more reachable than most nurses assume. Under the agreement you qualify with EITHER a relevant post-basic qualification plus 12 months' experience in that clinical specialty, OR a minimum of four years' post-registration experience including three years in the relevant specialty — and you must meet the criteria in Appendix 4. Most eligible nurses never apply.

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 11 May 2026 — before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (11 May 2026).

Grade	Weekly	Hourly	Annualised
Clinical Nurse Specialist	$2,151.50	$56.62	$112,262
Clinical Nurse Consultant A	$2,340.30	$61.59	$122,114
Clinical Nurse Consultant B	$2,463.50	$64.83	$128,542
Clinical Nurse Consultant C Year 1	$2,586.50	$68.07	$134,960
Clinical Nurse Consultant C Year 2	$2,648.00	$69.68	$138,169
Clinical Nurse Consultant D	$3,079.50	$81.04	$160,684
Clinical Nurse Consultant E	$3,227.10	$84.92	$168,385
Nurse Practitioner Year 1	$2,870.40	$75.54	$149,773
Nurse Practitioner Year 2	$2,924.90	$76.97	$152,617
District Nurse Level 1 (increment 1)	$1,836.90	$48.34	$95,847
District Nurse Level 1 (increment 2)	$1,900.00	$50.00	$99,139
District Nurse Level 1 (increment 3)	$1,968.20	$51.79	$102,698
District Nurse Level 1 (increment 4)	$2,067.50	$54.41	$107,879
District Nurse Level 2	$2,155.50	$56.72	$112,471

Ways to earn more

The senior clinical track starts at Clinical Nurse Specialist ($2,151.50/wk) and runs up through the Clinical Nurse Consultant grades to CNC E at $3,227.10/wk — the top of the clinical (non-management) scale.
Clinical Nurse Consultant grades step up sharply: CNC A $2,340.30, CNC B $2,463.50, through CNC D $3,079.50/wk, with grade set by role scope.
Nurse Practitioner endorsement is a parallel senior route, paying $2,870.40/wk in Year 1 rising to $2,924.90/wk in Year 2.
Claim the qualification allowance on top of your grade: $105.90/wk for a postgrad diploma or degree, or $122.30/wk for a Masters (highest qualification only).
Work nights, weekends and on-call: a Friday/Saturday night shift adds $126.60, weekend ordinary hours are time-and-a-half, and weekend-PH on-call pays $202.70 per 12-hour period.

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.

Qualification Allowance — RN/MidwifeGrad Cert/Hospital Cert $65.10; Post Grad Dip/Degree $105.90; Masters $122.30.

RNs/Midwives with a relevant post-basic qualification (or a base double-degree/Masters, paid after 1 year experience in a relevant area) get a per-ordinary-hour-worked qualification allowance, paid in addition to salary, with only one allowance (the highest qualification held) payable.

On Call AllowanceMon–Fri $77.20; Sat $115.80; Sun/weekday PH $135.10; weekend PH $202.70.

Paid per 12-hour period (or part) rostered on call. The old separate telephone allowance is now included in these rates. If on call spans two days with different rates, you are paid the higher day's rate.

Uniform Allowance$2.25 daily / $11.11 weekly (whichever is the lesser amount in total).

Employer must provide any required uniform at no cost (no payment in lieu). If a uniform is NOT provided, you are paid a uniform allowance at the daily or weekly rate, whichever is the lesser amount in total.

Laundry Allowance$0.60 daily / $3.02 weekly (whichever is the lesser amount in total).

If laundering of the uniform is not provided by/at the expense of the employer, you are paid a laundry allowance at the daily or weekly rate (whichever is the lesser amount in total).

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 management — see exactly what each step takes →

Frequently asked questions

How much does a clinical nurse earn in Victoria?

In Victoria public health, a clinical nurse earns from $1,836.90 per week ($95,847 a year) to $3,227.10 ($168,385) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.

What is the starting clinical nurse salary in Victoria?

A first-step clinical nurse in Victoria starts at $1,836.90 per week — about $95,847 a year ($48.34 an hour) before penalties and allowances.

Do Victoria nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?

Yes — on top of base pay, Victoria 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 Victoria nurse pay & conditions guide.

Pay figures are drawn from the Nurses and Midwives (Victorian Public Sector) Single Interest Employer Agreement 2024-2028. Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.