VIC Medical Specialist Pay 2026–27
Victorian public hospital medical specialists are employed under the Medical Specialists (Victorian Public Health Sector) (AMA Victoria/ASMOF) (Single Interest Employers) Enterprise Agreement 2022–2026. Appendix 2 of the agreement publishes the full minimum weekly salary scale (Specialist Year 1–9 plus an Executive Specialist range) in two columns keyed to whether you receive private practice income.
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
- Rates are the 1 March 2025 column, the final wage step of the 2022–2026 EA. The agreement continues to operate past its 28 February 2026 nominal expiry, so these minimums hold until a successor agreement lands.
- The EA does not set the private practice amount itself: no percentage split is published, and fund arrangements are local.
- Victoria has no state-wide VMO sessional rate bulletin. Sessional rates are negotiated per health service, so contact the relevant VMO coordinator for current figures.
The award / agreement behind these rates
These salaried rates come from Medical Specialists (Victorian Public Health Sector) (AMA Victoria/ASMOF) (Single Interest Employers) Enterprise Agreement 2022–2026 (AE517968), read together with the determinations and bulletins listed under Sources. It sets the medical specialist salary scale, allowances, on-call rates and private-practice arrangements:
- Medical Specialist salary scale
- Private practice
- On-call, callback & penalty rates
- VMO sessional rates
Which model applies?
Most Victoria specialists work as Medical 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.
Medical Specialist
Salaried employee of the health service under the state-wide EA. Published minimum weekly salary scale (Specialist Year 1–9 plus an Executive range), statutory superannuation on top, a $30,468.29/yr CME reimbursement cap, and a two-column private practice election.
Jump to Medical Specialist ↓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 ↓Medical Specialist salary scale
Rates below are the Appendix 2 Table 1.1 minimum weekly salaries (for specialists who do not receive private practice income), annualised at weekly × 365.25/7, from the first full pay period on or after 1 March 2025: the final wage step of the 2022–2026 EA and the current in-force column. The agreement publishes nine specialist pay points (HM33 to HM41) with an Executive Specialist range above them, but it does not set out how you move between them, so check your health service policy or your contract.
| Grade | Base salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist Year 1 (HM33) | $262,999 | $5,040.37/wk (Table 1.1). With private practice income: Table 1.2 $4,088.78/wk ≈ $213,347. |
| Specialist Year 2 (HM34) | $280,607 | $5,377.83/wk. Table 1.2: $4,362.44/wk ≈ $227,626. |
| Specialist Year 3 (HM35) | $291,507 | $5,586.72/wk. Table 1.2: $4,531.92/wk ≈ $236,469. |
| Specialist Year 4 (HM36) | $302,925 | $5,805.54/wk. Table 1.2: $4,709.18/wk ≈ $245,718. |
| Specialist Year 5 (HM37) | $314,714 | $6,031.48/wk. Table 1.2: $4,892.48/wk ≈ $255,283. |
| Specialist Year 6 (HM38) | $326,988 | $6,266.71/wk. Table 1.2: $5,083.12/wk ≈ $265,230. |
| Specialist Year 7 (HM39) | $333,421 | $6,389.99/wk. Table 1.2: $5,183.19/wk ≈ $270,451. |
| Specialist Year 8 (HM40) | $353,135 | $6,767.82/wk. Table 1.2: $5,489.88/wk ≈ $286,454. |
| Specialist Year 9 (HM41) | $361,629 | $6,930.61/wk. Table 1.2: $5,621.91/wk ≈ $293,343. |
| Executive Specialist – bottom of range (HM42) | $361,629 | Same rate as Specialist Year 9. Table 1.2: $5,621.91/wk ≈ $293,343. |
| Executive Specialist – top of range (HM43) | $415,878 | $7,970.29/wk. Table 1.2: $6,465.12/wk ≈ $337,341. |
Minimum weekly rates from Appendix 2 Part 1, first full pay period on or after 1 March 2025 (the 2022–2026 EA’s wage steps were +2.75% from 1 March 2022, +2.5% from 1 September 2023 and +2.5% from 1 March 2025, cl 31.1). Superannuation is paid on top at the 12% statutory guarantee, calculated on ordinary time earnings before salary packaging (cl 32.5(a)). The ATO maximum contribution base of $270,830 for 2026–27 caps compulsory employer super at about $32,500 a year, so it stops scaling with the published salary from Specialist Year 2 upward.
Private practice
| Election | Cash effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Table 1.1 (no private practice income) | Full Table 1.1 rate | The published minimum for specialists who do not receive private practice income. |
| Table 1.2 (private practice income) | ≈18.9% lower base | Applies at every pay point. Private practice income is income from exercising private practice privileges, whether you collect it or the health service does (cl 9(dd)). |
| Floor on the election | At least the Table 1.1 rate | Table 1.2 salary plus your private practice income must reach the Table 1.1 rate (Appendix 2 Part 1 notes). |
| Reporting where the service bills as your agent | Monthly | cl 17 requires monthly reporting and transparent fund records. |
| Indemnity allowance | $629.18/yr | Paid where private practice income is paid across to the health service (cl 44, Table 2.3). |
On-call, callback & penalty rates
| Payment type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| On-call availability | Included in salary | Full-time doctors remain on duty when patient needs require and hold themselves available outside ordinary hours; payment for this availability is included in the Appendix 2 salary rates (cl 25, cl 26.1). Doctors required on the on-call roster who regularly accept calls receive a fifth week of annual leave (cl 47.2). |
| Recall to the hospital | 1/38th of weekly rate + 150% / 200% | Each recall pays 1/38th of the weekly wage rate for travel, plus the time worked at time and a half on weekdays and double time on weekends and public holidays (cl 27.1). |
| Overtime | No paid overtime | The EA has no overtime provision for full-time specialists: the salary is full compensation for reasonable additional hours (cl 25, cl 28.2). Fractional specialists working beyond their fractional allocation are paid at the ordinary fractional hourly rate, not a premium (cl 29.5). |
| Shift penalties (rostered ordinary hours) | 25–100% | Mon–Thu 6pm–midnight 25%; Friday 6pm–midnight 50% (from 1 March 2023); midnight–7am 75%; Saturday 7am–midnight 50%; Sunday 7am–midnight 75%; Sunday midnight–7am Monday 100% (cl 36.1–36.2). Paid on top of the Appendix 2 minimum rates only, and absorbed where your contracted rate is higher (cl 36.3). |
| Public holidays worked | 250% | 250% for time worked, or by mutual agreement single time plus 1.5 days added to annual leave (cl 56.8(a)). Internal locums: 275% (cl 56.8(b)). |
VMO sessional rates
There is no VIC equivalent of NSW’s IB2024_001. Rates below are set per health service and vary by specialty and contract type.
| Service type | Rate per session (4 h) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General / non-procedural | Health service–negotiated | No published state-wide rate. |
| Procedural / specialist | Health service–negotiated | Typically higher than non-procedural; varies significantly by specialty and service. |
One session is typically 4 hours, though the definition may vary by health service; the sessional rate is the agreed payment for the session, standard Award overtime and penalty rates do not apply, and any on-call or callback obligations are set by individual contract. Fee-for-service VMOs bill Medicare directly under the MBS or private billing schedules and are not covered by any health service sessional arrangement.
Medical Specialist vs VMO
| Feature | Medical Specialist | VMO |
|---|---|---|
| Employment type | Salaried employee | Independent contractor |
| Pay model | Published weekly salary scale (Table 1.1, or Table 1.2 with private practice income) | Per-session rate (negotiated per health service) |
| Annual leave | Paid: 4 weeks + 17.5% loading (ABS-capped, cl 48); 5 weeks on the on-call roster (cl 47.2) | No (self-funded) |
| Sabbatical leave | Up to 26 weeks on full salary after six years of continuous service, for approved study or research, splittable into two 13-week periods (cl 57) | No |
| Sick leave | Paid | No |
| Superannuation | Statutory guarantee (12%) on top of salary, paid up to the maximum contribution base ($270,830 for 2026–27, a ceiling of about $32,500/yr) | Self-funded |
| CME allowance | Reimbursement up to $30,468.29/yr | No |
| CME leave | 2 weeks per year on full pay (pro rata for fractional specialists), accumulating to 4 weeks; a Chief Medical Officer or delegate may approve more (cl 59.2) | Set by individual contract |
| Private practice | Two-column election: Table 1.2 base + private practice income, floored at the Table 1.1 rate | Independent billing |
| Rural / regional | Designated Location Bonus: $12,000 per eligible year ending by 30 June 2026, at 16 listed employers | N/A (negotiated) |
| Insurance | WorkCover covered by employer; $629.18/yr indemnity allowance where private practice income is paid across | Self-funded medical indemnity + income protection |
| Career progression | Specialist Year 1–9 pay points, then Executive Specialist range (the EA does not state the advancement rule) | No set progression |
| Salary packaging | ~$9,010 FBT-free (standard public hospital) | Not applicable |