Salary / Remuneration

Salary
In the Queensland public sector, the yearly base rate for a registered nurse, Nursing Officer Grade 5 (prev NO1) at graduate starting level is $48,493. If you work a roster that includes shift work, this figure could increase to over $50,000.

Shift Allowances
If you work shift work, on top of your base rate of pay, you receive the following shift allowances:

12.5 per cent for afternoon shifts
20 per cent for night shifts
50 per cent for Saturdays
75 per cent for Sundays
150 per cent for special Public Holidays - Easter Saturday, Labor Day and Show Day
50 per cent for all other Public Holidays

Remuneration Packages
Queensland Health provides attractive remuneration packages for Nursing staff. The document below provides detail of packages available to registered nursing officers. It provides details of both the bottom and top of each pay scale for Nursing Officers Level 1 to 4. It is important to note that there are annual increment levels between the bottom and top levels in each pay scale (please see Schedule 1 Wages Rates of the Certified Agreement below).

Snapshot of New Nurses Remuneration Wage Rates
(Effective 1st July 2007)

Other important documents and links include:

Full nursing wage rates table
Nurses (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB6) 2006.
A new wage agreement with improved benefits and conditions has been certified.

The package offered to nursing officers employed by Queensland Health includes:

Competitive salary and conditions
Access to Salary Sacrificing arrangements
Additional incentives to work in rural and remote locations
38 hour week with overtime provisions (variable)
17.5% annual leave loading (27.5% annual leave loading for shift workers)
Up to 12.75% employer superannuation contribution
Twelve (12) weeks paid maternity leave (with half pay option) plus one weeks paid paternity leave
On call allowances (variable)
Shift allowances and penalty rates (variable)
Five (5) weeks (six (6) weeks for shift workers) paid annual leave with option to purchase up to six (6) weeks additional annual leave per year (subject to service delivery requirements)
Professional Development Allowance of between $1,500 to $2,500 per annum depending on location of employment
Professional Development leave accruable at 3 days per year
Qualifications allowance of between $1,939 and $3,047 per annum for relevant continuing education credentials

Other items provided by Queensland Health that vary with location are:

Relocation costs
Accommodation