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QLD Staff Specialist Pay 2026–27
Queensland Health employs consultant-level specialists as Staff Specialists on the L18–L29 scale under MOCA7, read with the Medical Officers (Queensland Health) Award – State 2015. A separate agreement, VMO1 2023, covers sessional visiting specialists.
Last updated: 29 July 2026
By Jacob Stretton, RN & final-year medical student · figures sourced from the public EBAs & the ATO · About & methodology →
Key takeaways
$223,136–$310,804Base scale from L18 to Pre-Eminent Status L29 on MOCA7 rates payable from 1 July 2026, including the +0.5% CPI Uplift Adjustment; the standard Staff Specialist range (L18–L24) tops out at $259,187.
+50% of baseGeneral Attraction and Retention Allowance for specialists, superannuable and paid on paid leave; 25% if you elect the private-practice revenue-retention arrangement (cl 11.24).
$22,145/yr PDAProfessional Development Allowance paid fortnightly (cl 7.7.2), plus a motor vehicle allowance of $23,395 or $28,408/year (cl 11.33).
270% overtimeFlat rate for approved hours beyond the 80-hour fortnight (cl 11.12.4); physical and digital recall pay the same 270%.
$804–$956VMO specialist pay for four hours at the VMO1 2023 loaded hourly rates; 1 July 2025 is the final column in the agreement, which passed its nominal expiry on 30 June 2026.
- The rates on this page are certified minimums: a capped +0.5% CPI Uplift Adjustment has already been triggered (cl 2.2.2.1). Check the MOCA7 wage schedule on QLD Health's wage rates page before relying on a figure.
The award / agreement behind these rates
These salaried rates come from Medical Officers' (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (No. 7) 2025 (MOCA7), QIRC CB/2025/128, read together with the determinations and bulletins listed under Sources. It sets the staff specialist salary scale, allowances, on-call rates and private-practice arrangements:
Which model applies?
Most Queensland specialists work as Staff Specialists, VMOs, or hold concurrent appointments across both models. For a national overview of how the two employment models differ on pay, leave, super and private practice, see staff specialist vs VMO explained.
Staff Specialist
Salaried Queensland Health employee on the L18–L29 scale under MOCA7, with the attraction and retention, development and vehicle allowances paid on top.
Jump to Staff Specialist ↓Visiting Medical Officer (VMO)
Employee of Queensland Health under VMO1 2023, paid a 48% loaded hourly rate with paid annual and personal leave and employer superannuation on top.
Jump to VMO ↓Staff Specialist salary
QLD Staff Specialists are paid on an L-number scale from L18 to L29. The figures below are base salary only: the General Attraction and Retention Allowance, the PDA and the motor vehicle allowance are all paid on top.
| Grade | Base salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Staff Specialist L18 | $223,136 | Entry level for Fellowship-qualified specialists (paypoint MMO1 01). |
| Staff Specialist L19 | $229,113 | |
| Staff Specialist L20 | $235,975 | |
| Staff Specialist L21 | $241,065 | |
| Staff Specialist L22 | $247,047 | |
| Staff Specialist L23 | $253,032 | |
| Staff Specialist L24 | $259,187 | Top of the Staff Specialist (MMO1) range. |
| Staff Specialist – Senior Status L25 | $266,839 | |
| Staff Specialist – Senior Status L26 | $274,932 | |
| Staff Specialist – Senior Status L27 | $282,912 | Top of the Senior Status (MMO2) range. |
| Staff Specialist – Eminent Status L28 | $294,856 | |
| Staff Specialist – Pre-Eminent Status L29 | $310,804 | Top of the certified scale. |
Employer superannuation is 12.75% under the Superannuation (State Public Sector) Regulation 2023, and the A&R, regional and ED allowances count as ordinary time earnings for super (cl 11.24.9, 11.25.5, 11.26.3).
Data note: Base salary figures are the certified MOCA7 rates payable from 1 July 2026 (QIRC CB/2025/128, Schedule 1 Table 1.1). The March 2026 Brisbane CPI exceeded the 3% year-one wage increase, triggering MOCA7's CPI Uplift Adjustment at its +0.5% cap (cl 2.2.2.1); the uplift compounds into later increases, and Queensland Health must publish the updated rates once the entitlement crystallises (cl 2.5.4).
Private practice
Queensland runs a 'granted private practice' model inside salaried employment: you sign the standard agreement template before commencement and can change options each financial year or by mutual agreement (cl 11.35). The election is a straight trade: 25% of your base salary against what you expect to retain from private billings.
The two elections
| Election | Cash effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment (default) | A&R allowance +50% of base | The employer or its billing agent raises fees under your Medicare provider number and keeps the revenue (cl 11.24.1, 11.36.1.3). |
| Revenue retention | A&R allowance +25% of base | You retain billings on the terms of the agreement template, the scheme rules and the Queensland Health Fees and Charges Register (cl 11.24.7, 11.36). |
On-call, callback & penalty rates
| Payment type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime | 270% of base rate | Flat rate for approved hours beyond the 80-hour fortnight (cl 11.12.4); there is no 150%/200% ladder for SMOs. Prior approval is waived for listed clinical situations such as medical emergencies, theatre over-runs, late ward rounds and clinical handover (cl 11.12.2), and overtime can be annualised by agreement (cl 11.12.5). |
| Extended-hours roster penalties | +44% evening (18:00–07:00 Mon–Fri) · +87% Saturday · +170% Sunday · +116% public holiday | Paid on base rate in addition to ordinary pay, and only where you have agreed to an extended span of ordinary hours under cl 11.7 (cl 11.7.11). Weekend work outside an agreed extended roster is overtime at 270%. |
| Public holiday work | +116% loading | All time worked on a public holiday, in addition to payment for the day; minimum 4 hours (cl 11.16.2, 11.15). |
| Remote on-call | 12% of your hourly base rate per hour on call | On duty within 30 minutes of recall, or another agreed clinically reasonable time (cl 11.17.3.2, 11.17.5.1). |
| Proximate on-call | Hourly base rate × 4.52 per 24-hour period Mon–Sat; × 6.76 commencing Sunday | Return within 10 minutes. Payable once per 24-hour period and not concurrently with remote on-call (cl 11.17.5.2, 11.17.6–11.17.7). |
| Recall (physical) | 270% of hourly base rate | Calculated from home and back to home; minimum 2 hours for the first recall and 1 hour for subsequent recalls within 24 hours (cl 11.17.9.1). |
| Digital recall | 270% of base rate, minimum 30 minutes per instance | Duty performed via digital resources without leaving home. A physical recall within 30 minutes of starting a digital recall attracts a 2.5-hour minimum for the first instance (cl 11.17.8, 11.17.10). |
| Regional and Rural Attraction Allowance | 5%, 10% or 15% of base salary | By HHS: 5% Cairns and Hinterland, Townsville (excluding Palm Island), Darling Downs; 10% Palm Island, Central West, Mackay, Central Queensland, Wide Bay, South West; 15% Torres and Cape, North West. Paid on top of the General A&R Allowance (cl 11.25). |
| Emergency Department Specialty Allowance | 25% of base salary | For SMOs working in an ED on an extended-hours roster that includes evening and/or weekend shifts; paid in addition to the general and regional allowances (cl 11.26). |
| Clinical Manager / Medical Manager Allowance | $8,886–$35,536 (CMA L1–L7) · $6,663–$68,839 (MMA L1–L10) | Payable from 1 July 2026 under Schedule 1 Table 1.3: the Clinical Manager Allowance goes to a Medical Officer appointed to a Director position, and the Medical Manager Allowance to a Director or Executive Director of Medical Services with FRACMA (cl 3.15.1, 3.15.2). If you became eligible after 1 November 2012 it is not an all-purpose allowance, so it does not count towards the A&R allowance, recreation leave loading or superannuation (cl 3.15.4). |
VMO sessional rates
Queensland's Visiting Medical Officers' Employees (QLD Health) CA (VMO1) 2023 (QIRC CB/2024/15) covers Visiting Specialists, Visiting Senior Specialists and Visiting General Practitioners, who are employees of Queensland Health under it (cl 1.8). VMO1 reached its nominal expiry on 30 June 2026, so the 1 July 2025 rates below are its final column and stay payable until a replacement agreement is certified (cl 1.4, 1.5.2).
Rates are the 1 July 2025 column of the VMO1 loaded hourly schedule, a 48% loading on the base hourly rate. Employer superannuation is paid on top of the loaded rate (cl 2.5.4), and VMO1 does not say what the loading compensates: cl 2.1.1 records only that it carries the loaded rates forward from Health Employment Directive 11/21.
| Service type | Rate per session (4 h) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visiting Specialist – 1st Year | $804.16 | $201.04/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
| Visiting Specialist – 2nd Year | $831.60 | $207.90/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
| Visiting Specialist – 3rd Year | $858.12 | $214.53/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
| Visiting Specialist – 4th Year | $879.72 | $219.93/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
| Visiting Senior Specialist | $955.72 | $238.93/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
| Visiting GP – 1st, 2nd, 3rd Year | $698.32 | $174.58/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
| Visiting GP – Thereafter | $724.92 | $181.23/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
| Visiting GP with FRACGP or vocational registration – 1st Year | $698.32 | $174.58/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
| Visiting GP with FRACGP or vocational registration – 2nd Year | $724.92 | $181.23/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
| Visiting GP with FRACGP or vocational registration – 3rd Year and thereafter | $751.24 | $187.81/hr × 4 hrs (48% loaded rate, effective 1 July 2025). |
Extras on top of the session rate
| Extra | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hours beyond four | Loaded hourly rate | VMO1 publishes hourly rates, not session rates, so hours five and beyond are paid at the same loaded hourly rate. Rostered hours must not exceed nine in any one day (cl 8.3.2). |
| Overtime | 160% of the loaded base rate | Payable on an exception basis only once the hours worked in any one session exceed nine (cl 8.14.1, 8.14.3). It can be paid on an annualised basis by agreement with the Service (cl 8.14.4). |
| On-call | 6.5% on-call loading on the base rate | You cannot be rostered for more than 14 on-call periods in any 14-day period without agreement, and not between 7:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday (cl 8.4.1, 8.4.2, 8.4.5). |
| Recall (call-back) | 160% of the loaded base rate | Paid each fortnight on an exception basis through an AVAC claim (cl 8.5). |
| Digital recall | Overtime rates, minimum 30 minutes per instance | For duties performed on call using digital resources without leaving home or returning to the facility; a further digital recall inside the 30-minute minimum is not counted separately (cl 8.6). |
| Public holiday work | 150% of ordinary rate · 250% on a weekend public holiday, Labour Day, Show Day, Easter Saturday or Easter Sunday | Applies to ordinary hours worked on the day (cl 7.11.3–7.11.6). |
| Fuel allowance | $580 – $2,350/yr, banded by Core Hours | Every VMO employee is eligible for one fuel allowance, paid fortnightly and banded by the Core Hours you are required to work per fortnight: under 6 hours $580, 6 to under 12 hours $1,150, 12 to 18 hours $1,700, and more than 18 hours $2,350 (cl 8.15.1). |
| Recall transport | Taxi fare or one motor vehicle allowance | Where you are recalled to provide a clinical service outside Core Hours, your transport cost is refunded as either the taxi fare or one motor vehicle allowance under Directive 20/16. Reasonable out-of-pocket travel to non-metropolitan hospitals is also compensated under that directive (cl 8.9). |
Fee-for-service VMOs bill Medicare directly and operate outside VMO1; their rates come from the MBS and private billing arrangements. VMO1 passed its nominal expiry on 30 June 2026 with no further increase scheduled, and negotiations for a replacement were required to start at least five months before that date (cl 1.5.1).
Staff Specialist vs VMO
| Feature | Staff Specialist | VMO |
|---|---|---|
| Employment type | Salaried employee of Queensland Health | Employee of Queensland Health under VMO1 (cl 1.8, definition of Employee) |
| Pay scale | L18–L29 MOCA7 base salary + 50% General A&R Allowance (25% with revenue retention) | VMO1 2023 sessional rate (48% loaded; $804–$956/4hr session for specialists) |
| Annual leave | 4 weeks paid (+1 week if ordinarily required to work public holidays) + 17.5% loading on up to 4 weeks (Award cl 22.2) | 4 weeks paid (+1 week if ordinarily required to work public holidays) + 17.5% loading on 4 weeks, paid at the loaded rate (cl 7.1, 7.5.2–7.5.3) |
| Sick leave | Paid | Paid personal leave under the Queensland Employment Standards (cl 7.8.1) |
| Superannuation | 12.75% employer contribution under the Superannuation (State Public Sector) Regulation 2023; MOCA7 cl 2.7.4 pays the greater of that and the statutory guarantee, so the SG maximum contribution base ($270,830 for 2026–27) does not cap it | Employer contribution on the same greater-of formula, so the same 12.75% floor applies (cl 2.5.4) |
| PDA | Yes ($22,145/year, paid fortnightly) | Yes: an annual lump sum of $6,000 in a country area or $5,000 elsewhere, for VMOs working at least 6 hours a week (cl 7.4.9–7.4.11) |
| Motor vehicle allowance | $23,395 or $28,408/year by classification level (cl 11.33) | No standing vehicle allowance, but recall transport is refunded as a taxi fare or one Directive 20/16 motor vehicle allowance (cl 8.9), plus a $580–$2,350/yr fuel allowance (cl 8.15.1) |
| Private practice | Granted private practice: assign billings for the full 50% A&R, or retain billings at 25% A&R | Independent billing |
| Rural allowance | Regional and Rural Attraction Allowance of 5–15% of base by HHS (cl 11.25), on top of the General A&R Allowance | No percentage loading, but the PDA is $6,000 a year in a country area against $5,000 elsewhere (cl 7.4.10–7.4.11) and country visiting specialists have their own commencing rate (cl 8.10) |
| Insurance | WorkCover covered by employer | Not dealt with in VMO1 |
| Career progression | Staff Specialist (L18–L24) → Senior Status (L25–L27) → Eminent Status (L28) → Pre-Eminent Status (L29) | Annual increments on each anniversary of commencement (cl 8.12.4); promotion to Visiting Senior Specialist needs 7 years of eligibility for specialist registration (cl 8.13) |
| Salary packaging | ~$9,010 FBT-free (EPHA, standard public hospital) | Available on the same terms as other QLD Health employees, including the public hospital FBT exemption cap (cl 2.3.6, 2.4.2) |
Frequently asked questions
What does the L-number scale mean and where would I start?
QLD Health classifies Staff Specialists from L18 to L24 (paypoints MMO1 01–07), Staff Specialist – Senior Status at L25–L27, Eminent Status at L28 and Pre-Eminent Status at L29 (MOCA7 cl 3.7). Fellowship-qualified specialists with limited post-Fellowship experience typically enter around L18–L20; those with several years' specialist experience negotiate higher entry. The specific starting level is agreed at appointment with QLD Health.
What is the PDA and how is it paid?
The Professional Development Allowance is $22,145/year under MOCA7 cl 7.7.2, paid fortnightly through payroll as an allowance on top of salary. It sits alongside a separate Professional Development Leave accrual of 3.6 weeks per year, to a 10-year maximum (cl 7.7.4). With approval you can also undertake professional development activities outside rostered hours, paid at ordinary rate and deducted from your PDL balance (cl 7.7.5–7.7.6).
Do QLD Staff Specialists get paid overtime?
Yes. MOCA7 pays SMOs a flat 270% of base rate for approved hours beyond the 80-hour fortnight (cl 11.12.4). Prior approval is waived for listed clinical situations: medical emergencies, patient transfers, extended time in theatre, late ward rounds, clinical handover and hospital-based outpatient clinics (cl 11.12.2). Overtime can also be annualised by agreement based on a reasonable prediction of hours (cl 11.12.5, 11.13).
How do the attraction and retention allowances work?
Two separate allowances apply. Every specialist SMO receives the General Attraction and Retention Allowance of 50% of base salary regardless of location; it is reduced to 25% with the private-practice revenue-retention election (cl 11.24). On top of that, positions in listed Hospital and Health Services attract a Regional and Rural Attraction Allowance of 5% (Cairns and Hinterland, Townsville excluding Palm Island, Darling Downs), 10% (Palm Island, Central West, Mackay, Central Queensland, Wide Bay, South West) or 15% (Torres and Cape, North West) of base (cl 11.25). Published 40–50% rural figures belong to the separate Rural Generalist pay scale, not the Staff Specialist scale. At L29, the 50% general allowance alone is worth $154,652/year on the 1 July 2026 rates.
I'm a senior registrar finishing fellowship: how does the move to Staff Specialist pay work?
The transition happens at appointment, not at Fellowship completion. Once you hold your Fellowship and secure a Staff Specialist position, your pay moves immediately to the MOCA7 Staff Specialist scale from your first day in the role. There is no transitional grade between registrar and Staff Specialist.
Is superannuation included in the 48% VMO1 loading?
No. VMO1 cl 2.5.4 requires Queensland Health to contribute superannuation for a VMO employee at the greater of the statutory guarantee on ordinary time earnings and the Queensland public sector rate, and that sits on top of the loaded hourly rate. VMO1 nowhere states what the 48% loading compensates: cl 2.1.1 records only that it carries the loaded rates forward from Health Employment Directive 11/21. Annual leave is also paid at the loaded rate (cl 7.1), so the loading does not stand in for leave either.
Can a QLD Staff Specialist also work VMO sessions?
It is possible, but subject to QLD Health's conflict of interest and secondary employment policies. Staff Specialists wanting to do sessional VMO work, particularly at a different health service, typically need written approval from their principal employer. Approval is more straightforward when there is no conflict with rostered duties.