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Paramedic Salary Australia 2026 — Paramedic Pay by State

Paramedics start on $72,908 to $88,017 a year depending on the state, and the top of the paramedic scale runs from $90,275 to $107,514. Each figure is read from the state’s own agreement or official pay table — there is no national award rate for paramedics.

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A paramedic in a green uniform restocks a kit bag at the open back of a white van on a misty morning

Paramedic salary by state

Base salary, full time, before tax, shift penalties and super. “Graduate / intern” is the first qualified or entry row of each state’s table and “Top of paramedic scale” the top of its core scale; supervisory and specialist rows are on the state pages.

Paramedic pay by state
StateEmployerGraduate / internTop of paramedic scaleRates from
NSWNSW Ambulance$84,416$103,2901 July 2026
VICAmbulance Victoria$72,908$99,51021 October 2025
QLDQueensland Ambulance Service$86,877$107,5141 September 2026
WASt John WA$73,869$106,4301 July 2026
SASA Ambulance Service$77,059$104,4581 July 2026
TASAmbulance Tasmania$78,771$101,4221 December 2025
ACTACT Ambulance Service$88,017$102,2374 December 2025
NTSt John Ambulance NT$82,859$90,2751 July 2024

Every salary links to its take-home figure. Take-home pages exist for every $1,000 up to $150,000 and in wider steps above that, so a salary without a page of its own links to the nearest one.

NSW paramedic pay — NSW AmbulanceVIC paramedic pay — Ambulance VictoriaQLD paramedic pay — Queensland Ambulance ServiceWA paramedic pay — St John WASA paramedic pay — SA Ambulance ServiceTAS paramedic pay — Ambulance TasmaniaACT paramedic pay — ACT Ambulance ServiceNT paramedic pay — St John Ambulance NT

How paramedic pay is set

Paramedics are not paid under a national modern award minimum the way retail or hospitality workers are. Each state and territory ambulance service pays against its own enterprise agreement, state award or determination, so a paramedic's salary depends first on which service employs them.

Most services are government agencies. Western Australia and the Northern Territory are different: their road ambulance services are run by St John, a not-for-profit, and St John paramedics are paid under enterprise agreements approved by the Fair Work Commission.

Within a service, pay rises by year of service through the qualified paramedic scale, then by role: intensive care, critical care, extended care and team-leader roles sit on higher tables.

Paramedic pay after tax

Each salary in the table links to its take-home page. Shift penalties, overtime and allowances are taxed as ordinary income on top of base salary, so for your real pay enter your expected total in the take-home pay calculator. Overtime is covered by the overtime pay calculator.

Paramedic pay questions

It depends on the state. Across the 8 states and territories whose paramedic pay tables we have verified, the entry rate runs from $72,908 (VIC) to $88,017 (ACT) a year, and the top of the paramedic scale from $90,275 (NT) to $107,514 (QLD). These are base salaries before tax, shift penalties and super.

Of the states we have verified, Queensland has the highest top-of-scale base salary at $107,514, and Australian Capital Territory the highest entry rate at $88,017. Base salary is only part of the picture: shift penalties, allowances and how quickly you progress differ by state, so compare the state pages rather than one figure.

No national modern award sets paramedic pay. Each ambulance service pays under its own state or territory instrument (an enterprise agreement, state award or determination), which is why pay differs between states and why this site publishes each state's table separately.

Yes. Shift penalties, overtime and most allowances are ordinary taxable income and are taxed through PAYG withholding with your salary. Use the take-home pay calculator with your total expected pay, not just base salary, to see what lands in your account.
How these pages are sourced▼

Each state page is transcribed from that state’s enterprise agreement, award, determination or the employer’s own published pay table, on the date shown on the page. Nothing is estimated, averaged or interpolated, and states we could not verify carry no figures.

Sources & References

  1. 1
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    Queensland Ambulance Service Certified Agreement 2025 (CB/2025/140)— Queensland Industrial Relations Commission
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    SA Ambulance Service Enterprise Agreement 2025 (ET-26-00076), with SAET approval order— SA Attorney-General's Department / South Australian Employment Tribunal
  6. 6
  7. 7
    ACT Public Sector ACT Ambulance Service Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026— ACT Government (CMTEDD) - ACTPS Employment Portal
  8. 8

Last verified: 24 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.

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