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Victoria Nurse Management (NUM / Director of Nursing) Pay 2025–26

Victoria's management track runs from associate and full nurse/midwife unit managers up to directors of nursing, with pay set by the size and complexity of the service you run.

In Victoria public health, a nurse manager earns from $2,315.70 per week ($120,830 a year) to $3,571.90 ($186,377) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.

Assistant in Nursing Enrolled Nurse Registered Nurse Clinical Nurse (senior clinical grades)

Estimate your take-home →

★ Facility size is the lever

In the management stream your pay is driven by the campus group you run, not your title alone. The same Director of Nursing role pays $2,832.90/wk at a Group 7B campus but $3,227.10/wk at a Group 8B campus — a step you take by moving to a larger or more complex service rather than by waiting for an increment.

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

Grade	Weekly	Hourly	Annualised
ANUM Year 1 / Associate Nurse Unit Manager Year 1	$2,315.70	$60.94	$120,830
ANUM Year 2 / Associate Nurse Unit Manager Year 2	$2,393.70	$62.99	$124,900
Nurse Unit Manager Level 1	$2,636.80	$69.39	$137,584
Nurse Unit Manager Level 2	$2,732.80	$71.92	$142,594
Nurse Unit Manager Level 3	$2,829.10	$74.45	$147,618
ADON/M Level 1 / Assistant Director of Nursing/Midwifery Level 1	$2,648.00	$69.68	$138,169
ADON/M Level 2 / Assistant Director of Nursing/Midwifery Level 2	$2,586.50	$68.07	$134,960
ADON Group (7B or 8D campus)	$2,463.50	$64.83	$128,542
ADON Group (8A campus)	$2,709.60	$71.31	$141,383
Principal Educator (8B campus)	$3,079.50	$81.04	$160,684
Principal Educator (8A campus)	$3,571.90	$94.00	$186,377
Campus DON of Group 7B campus	$2,832.90	$74.55	$147,817
Campus DON of Group 7A campus	$2,956.20	$77.79	$154,250
Campus DON of Group 8B campus	$3,227.10	$84.92	$168,385

Ways to earn more

Management grades run from Associate Nurse Unit Manager Year 1 ($2,315.70/wk) up to a Group 8B Campus Director of Nursing ($3,227.10/wk), with your grade set by the size and complexity of the service you run.
The Nurse Unit Manager rungs step up with unit complexity: NUM Level 1 $2,636.80, Level 2 $2,732.80, Level 3 $2,829.10/wk.
Moving to a larger campus is a direct pay step: a Group 7B Campus DON pays $2,832.90/wk, a Group 7A $2,956.20/wk, and a Group 8B $3,227.10/wk.
Claim the qualification allowance on top of grade: $105.90/wk for a postgrad diploma or degree, $122.30/wk for a Masters (highest qualification only).
Salary-package about $11,660/yr tax-free without reducing any allowance.

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.

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.

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: Nurse Manager → Director of Nursing — see exactly what each step takes →

Frequently asked questions

How much does a nurse manager earn in Victoria?

In Victoria public health, a nurse manager earns from $2,315.70 per week ($120,830 a year) to $3,571.90 ($186,377) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.

What is the starting nurse manager salary in Victoria?

A first-step nurse manager in Victoria starts at $2,315.70 per week — about $120,830 a year ($60.94 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.