What can doctors earn in Australia?
Australian doctor salaries vary widely depending on specialty, experience, location, employment model, hours, on-call commitments and private practice arrangements. This guide explains the main factors to consider when comparing opportunities.
Salary is only part of the package.
When comparing Australian medical opportunities, it is important to look at the whole employment package rather than headline salary alone.
General practice
GP remuneration can vary considerably depending on whether you are salaried, employed under an agreement, or working under a fee-for-service or mixed model.
Hospital doctors
Hospital salaries usually follow state or territory agreements for doctors in training and salaried medical officers, with additional payments possible for overtime, after-hours work and other duties.
Specialists
Consultant and specialist remuneration varies by specialty, seniority, public or private employment, and whether private practice or other additional arrangements apply.
Rural & regional roles
Some regional, rural and remote roles include additional incentives, accommodation, travel or relocation support, which can materially change the overall employment package.
Private practice
Private practice income depends on factors such as consultation fees, billing arrangements, patient volume, specialty and the proportion of billings retained after practice costs.
Look beyond the headline
Superannuation, salary packaging, leave, professional development, indemnity, relocation assistance and accommodation can all affect the true value of an offer.
What do the national figures show?
The latest Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile currently available for General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers reports median full-time earnings of $2,446 per week before tax, based on ABS May 2025 earnings data. The same profile reports average full-time hours of 45 per week.
For Other Medical Practitioners, the corresponding median full-time earnings figure is $5,013 per week before tax, with average full-time hours of 46 per week.
These are national occupation-level statistics rather than guaranteed salaries for individual doctors. Actual remuneration can be substantially different depending on specialty, seniority, location, employment model and additional payments.
Use advertised salary ranges and the relevant state or territory industrial agreement when comparing a specific role.
Five things to check before comparing salaries.
Two roles with similar advertised salaries can have very different overall value.
Specialty & qualifications
Specialty, fellowship status, experience and the level at which you are appointed can make a substantial difference to remuneration.
Location
Pay and incentives can differ between states and territories, and some rural or remote roles offer additional financial or practical benefits.
Employment model
Salaried, fee-for-service, mixed and private-practice arrangements can produce very different income structures.
Hours & on-call
Overtime, nights, weekends, on-call work and additional clinical responsibilities may attract extra payments depending on the agreement or contract.
Benefits & incentives
Superannuation, salary packaging, relocation, accommodation, travel, leave and professional development can add significant value beyond base pay.
Check the current state or territory rates.
Public-sector medical salaries are governed by state or territory agreements and can change over time. Use the relevant official sources, below, when assessing a specific role.
Queensland Health
Queensland Health publishes current medical stream wage rates, including resident, senior medical officer and medical practitioner classifications.
View current ratesNSW Health
NSW Health publishes the awards and determinations that set remuneration and conditions for medical officers and staff specialists.
View current awardsWestern Australia
WA Country Health Service publishes medical practitioner salary information and benefits, including rural and remote arrangements.
View salary informationSouth Australia
SA Health publishes enterprise agreement salary schedules for salaried medical officers, including consultant and senior consultant levels.
View salary agreementWhat should you ask an employer?
When a role interests you, ask for the full remuneration package rather than relying on a headline figure. Clarify the base salary, superannuation, overtime and after-hours arrangements, on-call expectations, private-practice arrangements, leave entitlements and any relocation or accommodation support.
For GP and private-practice roles, ask how income is calculated, what percentage of billings is retained, what practice costs are deducted and whether there are minimum guarantees or incentives.
For rural and remote roles, also check accommodation, travel, professional development support and any location-based incentives.
DocHop can help you understand the structure of an opportunity and the questions worth asking before you move forward.
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