St John WA is a private not-for-profit employer contracted by the WA Government. Its paramedics are paid under a Fair Work Commission enterprise agreement, not a WA public-sector award.
The 1 July 2026 rates are the last increase in this agreement, which reaches its nominal expiry on 30 June 2027. The next rise depends on a replacement agreement.
Salary figures quoted for St John WA paramedics often use the agreement's Total Annually figure (for example $129,552.23 for an AP1 from 1 July 2026), which includes the shift allowance and shift penalty. Base salary is lower.
WA paramedic pay 2026 at a glance
Full-time base salaries from 1 July 2026. Tap a table name for every row, or a salary to see it after tax.
| Pay table | Rows | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paramedic interns and Ambulance Paramedics (Appendix 1) | 5 | $73,869 | $106,430 |
| Station officers and specialist paramedics (Appendix 1) | 9 | $108,632 | $137,364 |
Which agreement sets WA paramedic pay
Paramedics employed by St John WA are paid under the St John Ambulance Western Australia Ltd Ambulance Officers' / Paramedics Enterprise Agreement 2024. The rates below apply from 1 July 2026 and were read from the source on 24 September 2026.
St John WA pay scale — every classification
Annual full-time base salary before tax and before superannuation. Part-time staff are paid pro rata.
Paramedic interns and Ambulance Paramedics (Appendix 1)
Graduate paramedics join St John WA as Paramedic Interns (Year 1 and Year 2 rates), then progress through Ambulance Paramedic levels AP1 to AP3.
Rates in this table apply from 1 July 2026.
| Position | Annual salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paramedic Intern Year 1 | $73,869 | Base $1,416.66 a week; agreement's Total Annually incl. shift allowance and penalty: $99,428.01 |
| Paramedic Intern Year 2 | $81,643 | Base $1,565.75 a week; Total Annually: $109,891.35 |
| Ambulance Paramedic - AP1 | $96,250 | Base $1,845.88 a week; Total Annually: $129,552.23 |
| Ambulance Paramedic - AP2 | $101,329 | Base $1,943.30 a week; Total Annually: $136,390.06 |
| Ambulance Paramedic - AP3 | $106,430 | Base $2,041.12 a week; Total Annually: $143,255.64 |
Station officers and specialist paramedics (Appendix 1)
Station Officer grades and specialist clinical roles, including Critical Care and Extended Care Paramedics and their interns.
Rates in this table apply from 1 July 2026.
| Position | Annual salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Station Officer Gd 1 | $108,632 | Base $2,083.35 a week; Total Annually: $146,219.26 |
| Station Officer Gd 2 | $110,803 | Base $2,124.99 a week; Total Annually: $149,141.77 |
| Station Officer Gd 3 | $112,961 | Base $2,166.36 a week; Total Annually: $152,044.95 |
| Paramedic Special Operations | $112,969 | Base $2,166.52 a week; Total Annually: $152,056.47 |
| Extended Care Paramedic Intern | $121,475 | Base $2,329.65 a week; Total Annually: $163,505.42 |
| Extended Care Paramedic | $125,321 | Base $2,403.41 a week; Total Annually: $168,682.50 |
| Critical Care Paramedic Intern | $121,475 | Base $2,329.65 a week; Total Annually: $163,505.42 |
| Critical Care Paramedic | $130,235 | Base $2,497.66 a week; Total Annually: $175,297.50 |
| Aircrew Clinician Lead | $137,364 | Base $2,634.38 a week; Total Annually: $184,892.74 |
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.
Graduate and intern paramedic pay
From 1 July 2026 a Paramedic Intern Year 1 is paid a base rate of $1,416.66 a week ($37.28 an hour), about $73,869 a year. With the shift allowance and shift penalty the agreement's Total Annually figure is $99,428.01.
A Paramedic Intern Year 2 is paid a base rate of $1,565.75 a week ($41.20 an hour), about $81,643 a year base ($109,891.35 Total Annually).
A Student Ambulance Officer - CPHC is paid $1,351.14 a week and a Student Ambulance Officer - Operations $1,400.29 a week base from 1 July 2026.
Shift penalties, loadings and allowances
Base salary is not the whole of it: paramedics on rotating rosters are paid extra for shift work. In summary, from the St John Ambulance Western Australia Ltd Ambulance Officers' / Paramedics Enterprise Agreement 2024:
- Appendix 1 shift loadings: night 15%, Saturday 50%, Sunday 75%.
- Casual rates incur a 25% loading.
- Each rostered paramedic position also carries a weekly shift allowance and shift penalty on top of base (for an AP3 from 1 July 2026: shift allowance $651.27 and shift penalty $53.71 a week), which is why the agreement's Total Annually figure is well above base salary.
Check the instrument for the exact conditions that apply to your roster. Overtime is worked out separately — the overtime pay calculator handles time and a half and double time.
What a WA paramedic salary is worth after tax
Every salary in the tables links to its take-home figure. Start with take-home pay on $74,000 for the entry rate or take-home pay on $106,000 for the top of the scale. Those figures cover base salary only; shift penalties and allowances are taxed as ordinary income on top.
Employer superannuation is paid on top of these salaries. For your own pay including penalties, a study loan or salary packaging, use the take-home pay calculator or the WA pay calculator.
What this page does not show
We publish only what we could read from a primary source. These are left off rather than estimated:
- Acting positions (Clinical Support Paramedic, Secondary Triage Paramedic, Community Paramedic) and grandfathered educator rates are in Appendix 1 but are not reproduced here.
WA paramedic pay questions
Paramedic pay in other states
How this page is sourced▼
Every salary on this page was read from the St John Ambulance Western Australia Ltd Ambulance Officers' / Paramedics Enterprise Agreement 2024 or St John WA’s own published pay table on 24 September 2026, and applies from 1 July 2026. Nothing is estimated, averaged or interpolated. Where the instrument publishes a weekly or fortnightly rate, the annual figure is that rate multiplied out and the published rate is shown in the notes column.
Take-home figures come from the site’s own calculator using ATO rates for the current income year.
Sources & References
- 1
- 2Decision [2025] FWCA 2337 approving the agreement— Fair Work Commission
Last verified: 24 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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