SA nurse pay rates 2026 at a glance
| Classification | Lowest step a year | Highest step a year |
|---|---|---|
| RN/M1Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1) | $74,831 | $102,103 |
| RN/M2Clinical Nurse/Midwife (Level 2) | $87,416 | $110,497 |
| RN/M2Associate Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager (Level 2) | $103,353 | $110,497 |
| RN/M3Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager, Nurse/Midwife Consultant, Nurse/Midwife Educator, Nurse/Midwife Manager (Level 3) | $125,183 | $130,779 |
| RN/M4Advanced Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager, Advanced Nurse/Midwife Consultant, Advanced Nurse/Midwife Educator, Advanced Nurse/Midwife Manager, Nurse Practitioner (Level 4) | $132,177 | $137,771 |
| Enrolled Nurse (Diploma), or Enrolled Nurse (Certificate) authorised in medication administration | $66,438 | $74,831 |
| Enrolled Nurse (Certificate), not authorised in medication administration | $63,992 | $72,033 |
| Advanced Skills Enrolled Nurse | $74,831 | $76,229 |
| RN/M5Nursing/Midwifery Director (Level 5) | $144,064 | $169,240 |
| RN/M6Director of Nursing/Midwifery (Level 6) | $144,064 | $211,200 |
| AIN/MAssistant in Nursing/Midwifery | $59,094 | $60,844 |
What makes SA different
- SA numbers its scales RN/M1 to RN/M6 and overlaps them: a Clinical Nurse/Midwife at the bottom of Level 2 earns exactly what a Registered Nurse/Midwife earns at the 5th increment.
- There is no separate nurse practitioner scale — nurse practitioners sit at Level 4 with the advanced unit manager and consultant roles.
- Night shift Monday to Friday attracts 20.5%, set by the agreement itself in place of the award rate.
- Current pay is 4% above the table: the SA Government paid a 4% administrative increase from January 2026, and a further 2% is due in October 2026. SA Health had not published the new dollar rates when this page was checked on 14 October 2026.
- The 2022 agreement nominally expired on 31 July 2025, and a proposed replacement was voted down in the 20–29 July 2026 ballot, so bargaining continues.
What a registered nurse earns in South Australia
On the Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1) scale, 1st increment pays $74,831 a year and 9th increment pays $102,103. SA Health publishes those annual figures directly.
SA Health nursing and midwifery pay scales
Registered nurses and midwives
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1)(RN/M1) pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
| Step | A year |
|---|---|
| 1st increment | $74,831 |
| 2nd increment | $77,175 |
| 3rd increment | $80,475 |
| 4th increment | $83,918 |
| 5th increment | $87,416 |
| 6th increment | $90,931 |
| 7th increment | $94,451 |
| 8th increment | $97,967 |
| 9th increment | $102,103 |
SA runs registered nurses and midwives on one scale, with increments rather than years.
Enrolled nurses
Enrolled Nurse (Diploma), or Enrolled Nurse (Certificate) authorised in medication administration pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
Enrolled Nurse (Certificate), not authorised in medication administration pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
| Step | A year |
|---|---|
| 1st increment | $63,992 |
| 2nd increment | $65,040 |
| 3rd increment | $66,438 |
| 4th increment | $67,836 |
| 5th increment | $69,236 |
| 6th increment | $70,633 |
| 7th increment | $72,033 |
The medication-administration authorisation is worth about $2,450 a year at the bottom of the scale — the two enrolled nurse streams run in parallel.
Advanced Skills Enrolled Nurse pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
| Step | A year |
|---|---|
| 1st increment | $74,831 |
| 2nd increment | $76,229 |
By appointment only under Appendix 7.
Clinical nurse, specialist and consultant grades
Clinical Nurse/Midwife (Level 2)(RN/M2) pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
| Step | A year |
|---|---|
| 1st increment | $87,416 |
| 2nd increment | $90,931 |
| 3rd increment | $94,451 |
| 4th increment | $97,967 |
| 5th increment | $102,103 |
| 6th increment | $103,353 |
| 7th increment | $105,735 |
| 8th increment | $108,115 |
| 9th increment | $110,497 |
SA overlaps its levels deliberately: Clinical Nurse/Midwife 1st increment is the same money as Registered Nurse/Midwife 5th increment.
Unit managers and nursing management
Associate Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager (Level 2)(RN/M2) pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager, Nurse/Midwife Consultant, Nurse/Midwife Educator, Nurse/Midwife Manager (Level 3)(RN/M3) pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
| Step | A year |
|---|---|
| 1st increment | $125,183 |
| 2nd increment | $127,980 |
| 3rd increment | $130,779 |
SA pays the unit manager, consultant, educator and manager roles at one level and one rate — the step up from Level 2 is the largest single jump in the SA structure.
Nursing/Midwifery Director (Level 5)(RN/M5) pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
Director of Nursing/Midwifery (Level 6)(RN/M6) pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
Nurse practitioners
Advanced Nurse/Midwife Unit Manager, Advanced Nurse/Midwife Consultant, Advanced Nurse/Midwife Educator, Advanced Nurse/Midwife Manager, Nurse Practitioner (Level 4)(RN/M4) pay rates
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 — rates effective first full pay period after 1 January 2025
| Step | A year |
|---|---|
| 1st increment | $132,177 |
| 2nd increment | $135,674 |
| 3rd increment | $137,771 |
South Australia does not give the nurse practitioner a separate scale: the role sits at Level 4 alongside the advanced unit manager, consultant, educator and manager roles.
Assistants in nursing and undergraduate students
Which agreement covers you
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022
- Rates effective
- first full pay period after 1 January 2025
- Next change
- a further 2% administrative increase in October 2026, determined by the SA Government outside the agreement (on top of the 4% administrative increase from January 2026) — SA Health has not published the resulting dollar rates
- Made or approved by
- South Australian Employment Tribunal
Appendix 6 prints four columns, each 3% above the last: 1/1/2022, 1/1/2023, 1/1/2024 and 1/1/2025. The 1/1/2025 column is the last one the agreement prints. The SA Government has since paid a 4% administrative increase from January 2026, so current pay is 4% above these figures; SA Health has not published the new table.
Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022Shift penalties and weekend loadings in South Australia
From clause 9.3 — Night Shift Penalty of the Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022.
| When you work | What it pays |
|---|---|
| Rostered night shift, Monday to FridayApplies to everyone except registered nurses and midwives at Levels 5 and 6. The agreement pays this in place of the parent award's night shift rate. | +20.5% |
Only the night shift penalty is set by the enterprise agreement. Afternoon, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday rates come from clause 5.3 of the Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Award, which has not been read for this page and is therefore not published.
What this page does not show
In the source, not reproduced here
- Appendix 7 career structure descriptors
- Professional development allowance and rural and remote incentives
- Rostering and workload (nurse-to-patient ratio) schedules
Not verified, so not published
- An hourly rate for any SA classification
- Afternoon, weekend and public holiday penalty rates, which sit in the parent award rather than the agreement
- The dollar rates paid since the SA Government's 4% administrative increase from January 2026, and after the further 2% due in October 2026. SA Health confirms both percentages but had not published the resulting pay table when this page was checked on 14 October 2026, so the table above is the last officially published column (1 January 2025) and is 4% below current pay
- Any rate under the proposed Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2026, which employees voted down in the 20–29 July 2026 ballot (reported 30 July 2026)
SA nurse pay questions
General rules that are not set by the SA instrument are covered elsewhere: the Nurses Award 2020 floor for private and aged care work, penalty rates and salary packaging.
How these figures were checked▼
Read on 14 October 2026 from the sources below. SA Health publishes annual salaries directly. Hourly: not shown — the agreement publishes an annual salary only and prescribes no hourly divisor, so this page does not print one.
Sources & References
- 1
- 2Salaries — SA Health careers— SA Health
- 3
- 4
Last verified: 14 October 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.