What a registered nurse earns in Western Australia
On the Registered Nurse/Midwife scale, the bottom step (Level 1.1) pays $82,945 a year and the top step (Level 2.4) pays $115,682. WA health service providers publishes those annual figures directly. Base pay is only part of the picture: nursing is a rostered, round-the-clock job, and shift and weekend loadings routinely add a double-digit percentage on top.
Those buttons go to the nearest published take-home page, which is rounded to the closest $5,000. For your exact figure — including HECS-HELP, salary packaging and extra super — use the take-home pay calculator.
What makes WA different
- WA pays the highest night shift loading of the six states on this site: 35% on a weekday night shift.
- Saturday is +50% and Sunday +75%, and those replace the shift loading rather than adding to it.
- Registered nurses and midwives progress through Level 1.1 to 2.4, then into Senior Registered Nurse/Midwife Levels 1 to 10.
- Nurse practitioners have no separate rate: the agreement classifies them as Senior Registered Nurses at a level assessed on work value, floored at Level 3.
- Enrolled nurses get a flat $65-a-week rise on 7 October 2026, not a percentage.
WA health service providers nursing and midwifery pay scales
Each table below uses the classification names the instrument itself prints. Classifications are not the same between states and this page does not translate them: a Queensland Nurse Grade 5 and a Tasmanian Registered Nurse Grade 3 are both entry registered nurse roles, but they are not the same classification and they are not on the same money.
Registered nurses and midwives
Registered Nurse/Midwife(RN/M Level 1.1–2.4)
WA Health System – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2024 — rates effective 12 October 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Level 1.1 | $82,945 — see take-home pay on $85,000 |
| Level 1.2 | $85,815 — see take-home pay on $85,000 |
| Level 1.3 | $88,800 — see take-home pay on $90,000 |
| Level 1.4 | $92,413 — see take-home pay on $90,000 |
| Level 1.5 | $96,151 — see take-home pay on $95,000 |
| Level 1.6 | $99,509 — see take-home pay on $100,000 |
| Level 1.7 | $103,001 — see take-home pay on $105,000 |
| Level 1.8 | $106,630 — see take-home pay on $105,000 |
| Level 2.1 | $109,599 — see take-home pay on $110,000 |
| Level 2.2 | $111,584 — see take-home pay on $110,000 |
| Level 2.3 | $113,613 — see take-home pay on $115,000 |
| Level 2.4 | $115,682 — see take-home pay on $115,000 |
A registered nurse or midwife doing a post-basic course leading to registration is paid at Level 1.2 or higher (clause 17(8)).
Enrolled nurses
Enrolled Nurse(EN Level 1–4, ASEN 1–3)
WA Health System – United Workers Union (WA) – Enrolled Nurses, Assistants in Nursing, Aboriginal Health Workers, Ethnic Health Workers and Aboriginal Health Practitioners Industrial Agreement 2024 — rates effective 7 October 2025
| Step | Weekly | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $1,461.76 | $76,012 — see take-home pay on $75,000(weekly x 52) |
| Level 2 | $1,488.21 | $77,387 — see take-home pay on $75,000(weekly x 52) |
| Level 3 | $1,514.65 | $78,762 — see take-home pay on $80,000(weekly x 52) |
| Level 4 | $1,541.11 | $80,138 — see take-home pay on $80,000(weekly x 52) |
| Advanced Skill Enrolled Nurse 1 | $1,594.01 | $82,889 — see take-home pay on $85,000(weekly x 52) |
| Advanced Skill Enrolled Nurse 2 | $1,646.90 | $85,639 — see take-home pay on $85,000(weekly x 52) |
| Advanced Skill Enrolled Nurse 3 | $1,699.83 | $88,391 — see take-home pay on $90,000(weekly x 52) |
Enrolled nurse levels 1 to 4 are years of employment as an enrolled nurse. Advanced skill requires a relevant post-enrolment qualification and at least three years' experience.
Enrolled Mental Health Nurse(EMHN pay point 1–6)
WA Health System – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2024 — rates effective 12 October 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Pay point 1 | $72,902 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
| Pay point 2 | $74,337 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
| Pay point 3 | $75,771 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
| Pay point 4 | $77,205 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
| Pay point 5 | $78,640 — see take-home pay on $80,000 |
| Pay point 6 | $80,075 — see take-home pay on $80,000 |
Enrolled mental health nurses sit under the ANF agreement, not the enrolled nurse agreement, and are paid an annual salary rather than a weekly rate.
Enrolled Nurse (Mothercraft Nursing only)
WA Health System – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2024 — rates effective 12 October 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | $69,076 — see take-home pay on $70,000 |
| Year 2 | $70,132 — see take-home pay on $70,000 |
| Year 3 | $71,672 — see take-home pay on $70,000 |
| Year 4 | $73,280 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
| Year 5 | $74,858 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
A closed classification: registration is limited to mothercraft nursing and the holder cannot administer medicines.
Clinical nurse, specialist and consultant grades
Senior Registered Nurse/Midwife(SRN/M Level 1–10)
WA Health System – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2024 — rates effective 12 October 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | $129,203 — see take-home pay on $130,000 |
| Level 2 | $133,185 — see take-home pay on $135,000 |
| Level 3 | $137,294 — see take-home pay on $135,000 |
| Level 4 | $141,535 — see take-home pay on $140,000 |
| Level 5 | $145,914 — see take-home pay on $145,000 |
| Level 6 | $154,854 — see take-home pay on $155,000 |
| Level 7 | $164,360 — see take-home pay on $165,000 |
| Level 8 | $174,470 — see take-home pay on $175,000 |
| Level 9 | $184,080 — see take-home pay on $185,000 |
| Level 10 | $194,235 — see take-home pay on $195,000 |
WA does not run separate clinical nurse, clinical nurse consultant and nurse unit manager scales the way NSW does. Those roles are all Senior Registered Nurse/Midwife levels, with the level set by the position.
Nurse practitioners
Nurse Practitioner
WA Health System – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2024 — rates effective 12 October 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Floor: not less than Senior Registered Nurse/Midwife Level 3Clause 17(7) sets a floor, not a rate. The employer assesses the work value of the scope of practice and picks the SRN/M level. This is the minimum that assessment can land on. | $137,294 — see take-home pay on $135,000 |
Assistants in nursing and undergraduate students
Assistant in Nursing
WA Health System – United Workers Union (WA) – Enrolled Nurses, Assistants in Nursing, Aboriginal Health Workers, Ethnic Health Workers and Aboriginal Health Practitioners Industrial Agreement 2024 — rates effective 7 October 2025
| Step | Weekly | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $1,329.54 | $69,136 — see take-home pay on $70,000(weekly x 52) |
| Year 2 | $1,355.96 | $70,510 — see take-home pay on $70,000(weekly x 52) |
| Year 3 | $1,382.42 | $71,886 — see take-home pay on $70,000(weekly x 52) |
Which agreement covers you
WA Health System – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2024
- Rates effective
- 12 October 2025
- Next change
- 12 October 2026
- Made or approved by
- Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission
Clause 17 prints four columns: existing rate, 12 October 2024, 12 October 2025 and 12 October 2026.
WA Health System – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2024WA Health System – United Workers Union (WA) – Enrolled Nurses, Assistants in Nursing, Aboriginal Health Workers, Ethnic Health Workers and Aboriginal Health Practitioners Industrial Agreement 2024
- Rates effective
- 7 October 2025
- Next change
- 7 October 2026 (a flat $65 a week)
- Made or approved by
- Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission
Clause 24 publishes weekly rates and increases enrolled nurses and assistants in nursing by a flat dollar amount rather than a percentage.
WA Health System – United Workers Union (WA) – Enrolled Nurses, Assistants in Nursing, Aboriginal Health Workers, Ethnic Health Workers and Aboriginal Health Practitioners Industrial Agreement 2024Nurses Award 2020 vs the WA agreement
The Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034) is a federal minimum wage instrument, not a pay scale for public hospital staff. It sets the floor below which no nurse in Australia may lawfully be paid. Almost nobody in Western Australia's public health system is actually paid on it, because the instrument above pays well over the floor. The award is what governs pay in private hospitals, GP and specialist clinics, aged care and agency work where no enterprise agreement applies.
| Rate | Weekly | Hourly | A full year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurses Award 2020 — RN level 1 pay point 1 (the floor) | $1,219.50 | $32.09 | $63,414 |
| Nurses Award 2020 — RN level 1 pay point 8 | $1,465.50 | $38.57 | $76,206 |
| WA public health — entry registered nurse (Level 1.1) | — | — | $82,945 |
Award rates above are the minimum rates operative from 1 July 2026 (PR799315) for employees other than aged care employees. The award now carries a second, higher set of minimum rates for aged care nurses, operative from 1 August 2026 (PR812118) — an aged care registered nurse level 1 in their first year is on $1,571.60 a week, well above the $1,219.50 general rate. If someone quotes “the Nurses Award rate” without saying which of the two streams they mean, the number is unusable.
| Nurses Award 2020 penalty | Rate |
|---|---|
| Afternoon shift, Monday to FridayShift starting at or after 12 noon and finishing after 6.00 pm (clause 20.1(a)). | +12.5% |
| Night shift, Monday to FridayShift starting at or after 6.00 pm and finishing before 7.30 am (clause 20.1(b)). | +15% |
| Saturday ordinary hoursMidnight Friday to midnight Saturday (clause 21.1). | 150% |
| Sunday ordinary hoursMidnight Saturday to midnight Sunday (clause 21.2). | 175% |
| Casual loadingShift loadings are worked out on the minimum hourly rate, then the casual loading is added to the penalty rate (clause 11.4). | +25% |
Full award pay-guide style tables for other awards are on the award pay rates page.
Shift penalties and weekend loadings in Western Australia
Nursing pay is penalty-driven. A nurse on a rotating roster with regular nights and weekends can be paid materially more than the base rate on this page, and the difference does not show up in any “average nurse salary” figure. Check these against your payslip line by line.
From clause 26 — Shift Work Allowances of the WA Health System – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2024.
| When you work | What it pays |
|---|---|
| Afternoon shiftA complete rostered shift starting no earlier than 1200 and finishing after 1800 on a weekday. | +15% |
| Night shiftA complete rostered night shift between 1830 and 0730 on a weekday. The highest night loading of any state on this site. | +35% |
| Saturday ordinary hoursMidnight Friday to midnight Saturday, on actual hours worked. | +50% |
| Sunday ordinary hoursMidnight Saturday to midnight Sunday, on actual hours worked. | +75% |
| Day-duty nurse called in on a SundayWhere the employee is normally rostered Monday to Friday day duty (clause 26(7)). | Double time |
Weekend rates replace the afternoon and night loadings rather than stacking on them. Clause 26 does not apply to community-setting nurses unless a clause 28(28)(d) agreement is in place. Public holiday and overtime rates are in separate clauses and are not reproduced here.
To model a specific roster — a fortnight of nights, a weekend block, an overtime call-back — use the overtime pay calculator, and read the overtime and penalty rates guide for how loadings interact with ordinary hours.
Moving up a step, and what each step is worth
Two different things move nursing pay. Within one classification you move through increments — usually annually for full-time staff, and by accumulated hours for part-time and casual staff. Between classifications you move by being appointed to a position, not by time served: nobody becomes a clinical nurse consultant or a unit manager by waiting.
The increments are worth checking. On the WA registered nurse scale, the gap between consecutive steps is a real pay rise every year that you should be able to see land on a specific pay period. If your increment date has passed and the rate has not moved, that is a payroll question worth asking. Use the pay rise calculator to see what a step is worth after tax, and the back pay calculator if the increment was applied late.
Salary packaging, and why it changes your take-home but not your grade
Public hospital employees can salary package living expenses out of pre-tax income under the public hospital fringe benefits tax exemption. On a nursing salary that is worth several thousand dollars a year in extra take-home pay, and it is one of the largest single differences between public and private sector nursing pay once you look past the base rate.
What it does not do is change your classification, your increment or your gross pay. It changes how much of your gross pay is taxed. That distinction matters when you are comparing a public hospital offer against a private one, and when you are checking whether your payslip has the packaging deduction applied correctly. The mechanics, caps and eligibility are in the salary packaging guide; the salary sacrifice calculator shows the effect on a specific salary.
What this page does not show
This is a money page, so it says what it left out rather than filling gaps with estimates.
Published, but not reproduced here
These rows exist in the source and can be read at the link in the sources below:
- Schedule C scale of allowances (district, travel, uniform, qualification)
- Aboriginal health worker, ethnic health worker and Aboriginal health practitioner rates in the United Workers Union agreement
- The Exceptional Matters Order at Schedule A of the ANF agreement
Not published anywhere we could verify
Nothing below appears on this page in any form. No figure here has been estimated, interpolated or carried across from another state:
- An hourly rate for any WA classification — neither agreement publishes one
- The nurse practitioner's actual level, which the employer sets by work value assessment case by case
- Public holiday penalty rates and overtime multipliers
Nurse pay in the other states
Every state runs its own classification structure and its own agreement. Comparing the raw numbers across states is misleading unless you also compare the classifications and the penalty structures.
Not yet published: Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. Their instruments have not been read, and we would rather publish nothing than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
How these figures were checked▼
Every rate on this page was read on 28 August 2026 from the instrument or employer wage schedule linked below, and nothing was estimated, averaged or interpolated. Where a source publishes a rate for a classification we publish it; where it does not, the row is omitted and listed under “what this page does not show”.
WA health service providers publishes annual salaries directly, so no conversion is applied. Hourly: not shown — neither WA agreement publishes an hourly rate, and neither prescribes a divisor for converting the salary, so this page does not print one.
Take-home links round to the nearest published $5,000 salary page and do not account for HECS-HELP, salary packaging, extra super or the Medicare levy surcharge. Use the take-home pay calculator for a figure specific to your circumstances. Nothing here is financial or industrial advice — check your own payslip and your own agreement.
Sources & References
- 1
- 2
- 3Nurses Award 2020 [MA000034] — consolidated award text— Fair Work Ombudsman
Last verified: 28 August 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.