TAS Specialist Medical Practitioner Pay 2026–27
Tasmanian public hospital specialists are called 'Specialist Medical Practitioners' (SMPs), paid under the Medical Practitioners (Tasmanian State Service) Agreement 2025 (TIC T15338 of 2026), read with the Medical Practitioners (Tasmanian State Service) Award for conditions. TAS uses the most granular progression ladder nationally: 11 annual increment levels plus 3 Senior SMP levels.
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
- Call-back is paid at double time with a 3-hour minimum (Award cl 36), and an on-call or after-hours roster adds a fifth week of recreation leave.
- The Agreement nominally expires 1 August 2026 (cl 4.2), with replacement negotiations due to have commenced by 31 March 2026, so check for a successor agreement from August 2026.
The award / agreement behind these rates
These salaried rates come from TAS Dept of Health – Medical Practitioner Salary Rates (rates transcribed from this page), read together with the determinations and bulletins listed under Sources. It sets the specialist medical practitioner salary scale, allowances, on-call rates and private-practice arrangements:
- Specialist Medical Practitioner salary
- Private practice
- On-call, callback & penalty rates
- VMO sessional rates
Which model applies?
Most Tasmania specialists work as Specialist Medical Practitioners, 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.
Specialist Medical Practitioner
Salaried employee of the Tasmanian State Service. 11 annual levels plus 3 Senior levels; no paid overtime, plus CPD cash and a private-practice or in-lieu arrangement.
Jump to Specialist Medical Practitioner ↓Visiting Medical Officer (VMO)
Engaged under a separate VMO instrument, usually paid by session or by hour. Employment status, leave and superannuation differ by state, so check the VMO section below.
Jump to VMO ↓Specialist Medical Practitioner salary
SMP Level 1 is entry for a newly Fellowship-qualified specialist; you advance one level automatically each year on your fellowship anniversary (appointment anniversary for overseas-trained specialists, Award cl 14). Prior specialist experience may allow entry at a higher level, and Senior SMP is by application, combining years of experience with leadership criteria.
| Grade | Base salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SMP Level 1 | $222,789 | Entry level for a newly Fellowship-qualified specialist. |
| SMP Level 2 | $231,066 | |
| SMP Level 3 | $239,343 | |
| SMP Level 4 | $247,620 | |
| SMP Level 5 | $255,897 | |
| SMP Level 6 | $264,174 | |
| SMP Level 7 | $272,451 | |
| SMP Level 8 | $280,728 | |
| SMP Level 9 | $289,006 | |
| SMP Level 10 | $297,284 | |
| SMP Level 11 | $305,539 | Top of the SMP scale. |
| Senior SMP Level 1 | $309,222 | By application: minimum 14 years as a specialist plus leadership criteria (Agreement cl 9.10). |
| Senior SMP Level 2 | $314,461 | Minimum 19 years as a specialist. |
| Senior SMP Level 3 | $319,701 | Top of the published TAS specialist scale: minimum 24 years as a specialist. |
Increments between SMP levels are roughly $8,300, and a CPD allowance of $17,483/yr (from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026; $16,974/yr before that) is paid fortnightly as cash on top of salary (Agreement Schedule 2). The Award sets no employer superannuation rate above the statutory guarantee (cl 15), so 12% is paid up to the maximum contribution base of $270,830 for 2026-27, capping compulsory contributions at about $32,500 a year.
| Allowance | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Car, or a cash allowance in lieu | $22,163/yr (Award cl 22 print) | Full-time SMPs and Senior SMPs take either a fully maintained government vehicle or this cash allowance, elected at commencement or when an existing lease expires (Award cl 22). The Award indexes the allowance every 1 July by March-to-March Hobart CPI, so the 2026-27 amount sits above the printed figure and is not published in the Award. |
| Management allowance | 5%–30% of base | Agreement cl 17. |
| Correctional or mental health work | 6.5% of base | Agreement cl 17. |
| Out-of-region support | $877/day | Agreement cl 17. |
Private practice
| Where you work | In-lieu allowance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Outside the North-West | 35% of base | Agreement cl 13. Not payable if you fail or refuse to remit private practice earnings. |
| North-West hospitals | Not less than 35% of base | Award cl 28. Counts for superannuation and is paid during paid leave. |
On-call, callback & penalty rates
| Payment type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime | None (leave in lieu at time-for-time) | No paid penalty overtime for SMPs/Senior SMPs. Approved excess hours accrue as leave in lieu, capped at 20 days/year; any unused balance is paid out at the end of the leave year at ordinary time rates (Award cl 34). |
| On-call availability allowance | 3%–25% of base salary per year | Annualised loading set by roster frequency (Award cl 35); see the tier table below. An on-call or after-hours roster also adds a fifth week (38 hours) of recreation leave. |
| Call-back | 200% (minimum 3 hours) | Recall to work is paid at double time with a 3-hour minimum, including up to 15 minutes travel each way (Award cl 36). |
| Phone advice while on call | 100% (minimum 1 hour) | Duties handled by phone or electronically without returning to the workplace are paid at the base salary rate, minimum 1 hour (Agreement cl 15). |
| Rostered ordinary hours outside 7am–7pm Mon–Fri | 125% weeknights / 150% Sat–Sun / 250% public holidays | These loadings apply only to rostered ordinary hours outside the spread, which SMPs/Senior SMPs work only by mutual agreement (Award cl 32), not to hours beyond the ordinary 38/week, which accrue as leave in lieu. |
| Roster frequency | Allowance |
|---|---|
| 1:10 or less frequent | 3% of base |
| 1:9 | 4% of base |
| 1:8 | 4.4% of base |
| 1:7 | 5.5% of base |
| 1:6 | 6.7% of base |
| 1:5 | 8% of base |
| 1:4 | 10% of base |
| 1:3 | 13.4% of base |
| 1:2 | 20% of base |
| Permanent 1:1 | Minimum 25% of base |
VMO sessional rates
Tasmanian VMPs are covered by the Tasmanian Visiting Medical Practitioners Agreement, which the Department of Health cites as the 2019 agreement while the Tasmanian Industrial Commission register also lists a Tasmanian Visiting Medical Practitioners Agreement 2022 (T15210 of 2025). Rates on the Department's Visiting Medical Practitioners salary rates page are published as annual and hourly figures by class, effective 6 July 2025.
TAS publishes VMP pay as annual and hourly rates rather than 4-hour sessions, and you elect between a higher rolled-up rate that carries unpaid leave (classes VP and VS) and a lower rate that carries paid leave entitlements (classes WP and WS). Any on-call obligations are specified in the individual VMP contract.
Fee-for-service VMPs billing Medicare directly are not covered by the VMP Agreement. For each class the rolled-up rate sits above the paid-leave rate, so read an offer against the matching stream before comparing it to a salaried SMP salary.
Specialist Medical Practitioner vs VMO
| Feature | Specialist Medical Practitioner | VMO |
|---|---|---|
| Employment type | Salaried employee (Tasmanian State Service) | Engaged under the VMP Agreement, paid by the hour |
| Progression | 11 annual levels + 3 Senior levels | No set progression |
| Annual leave | Paid: 4 weeks, 5 with an on-call/after-hours roster | Your election: paid leave entitlements, or a higher rolled-up rate instead |
| Sick leave | Paid personal leave (credited by length of service) | Covered by the same paid-leave election |
| Superannuation | 12% statutory guarantee, paid up to the maximum contribution base ($270,830 for 2026-27) | Not stated in the published DoH rate schedule |
| On-call | Annualised 3%–25% of base by roster frequency | Negotiated |
| Private practice | Scheme via employer, or 35% of base in lieu | Independent billing |
| Insurance | WorkCover covered by employer | Self-funded medical indemnity + income protection |
| Governing instrument | Agreement 2025 (T15338 of 2026); award for conditions | Tasmanian VMP Agreement (DoH cites the 2019 agreement; TIC lists a 2022 agreement, T15210) |
| Salary packaging | ~$9,010 FBT-free (EPHA, standard public hospital) | Not applicable |