What Perioperative Nurses Are Actually Earning in Australia Right Now
- Paul Wheeler
- Apr 7
- 2 min read
The numbers and what drives the real gap
Salary is one of those topics that nurses are often reluctant to discuss directly. There's a culture in the profession of not comparing notes on pay, which means a lot of people are making career decisions without a clear picture of where they actually sit in the market.
Here's a straightforward overview of what perioperative nurses were earning across Australia in 2025, and more importantly, what drives the real variation.
The base salary range
For registered perioperative nurses in the private sector across Australia, the broad base salary range sits between $85,000 and $115,000. Where you sit within that range depends primarily on experience, specialty, role level, and employer.
Enrolled nurses in perioperative roles typically sit between $65,000 and $80,000 base. Clinical nurse specialists and coordinators move into the $100,000 to $125,000 range. NUM roles in theatre vary widely, from around $110,000 to $145,000 depending on the size and complexity of the department.
Base salary is only part of the picture
The most significant variation in total remuneration for theatre nurses comes not from base salary but from the conditions around it.
On-call arrangements can add $15,000 to $25,000 per year for nurses who are regularly recalled. Penalty rates for evening, weekend, and public holiday shifts make a meaningful difference depending on roster patterns. Some private hospitals pay a higher base and limit penalty exposure. Others pay a lower base but roster heavily into high-penalty periods.
Two nurses on identical base salaries can realistically end up $20,000 apart in take-home earnings over a year based on roster patterns alone.
Geography still matters, but less than it used to
Metropolitan and regional salary differences in theatre nursing have narrowed. Regional and remote hospitals have increasingly had to offer competitive packages to attract experienced staff, and some now pay a premium that metropolitan hospitals don't match.
Western Australia, driven by mining economy flow-on effects and persistent workforce shortages, has historically paid at the higher end. Queensland and New South Wales are broadly similar. Victoria tends to sit slightly lower in the private sector, though this varies by employer.
How to use this information
If your base salary sits below $90,000 with more than three years of private sector perioperative experience, it's worth getting a current read on what's available. The market has moved and many nurses are working from package assumptions that are a few years out of date.
If you want a straightforward comparison of where you sit relative to what's being offered in roles I'm currently working on, I'm happy to have that conversation. No commitment required.
Paul Wheeler
Director, Carejobz and The Human Edge Group
Paul Wheeler has worked in specialist healthcare recruitment since 2003, with deep experience in executive search and clinical leadership placement across Australia and New Zealand. He works exclusively within the private hospital and surgical sector, helping hospital operators find and retain experienced perioperative and nursing leadership professionals. Paul is based in Brisbane and works with private hospitals nationally.
