Agency nurse or NP rates Australia 2026
Indicative pay ranges for Australian locum nurses & midwives in the 2025/26 financial year. What’s typical, what drives variance, and how to benchmark your own rate against the market.
What moves the number
What drives the variance
Geography
Regional and remote postings (higher MMM areas) often run 10 to 30% above metro rates to attract cover. Capital-city metros sit near the national mean; rates compress where supply is deepest.
Urgency
Last-minute cover pays more. Organizations covering a sudden gap often pay 20 to 30% above their standard rate.
Specialty
Out-of-hours, unplanned care, specialist wards, and complex caseload all uplift the base rate.
Volume
Regular weekly bookings are usually offered at a lower rate than ad-hoc shifts in exchange for certainty.
Route to market
Direct bookings pay more than agency routes because no one takes a cut.
A four-step check
How to benchmark your own rate
Write down the last ten bookings you accepted and the rate you charged or received.
Break them down by region, urgency, and duration.
Compare each against the typical range above. If you are consistently at or below the low end on standard bookings, you are probably underpriced.
Next time you are asked for your rate on a standard booking at a regional or hard-to-fill workplace, quote the typical figure from the headline above and see what happens. A refusal tells you about the booking, not your rate.
Figures are educated estimates. Sources include: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) pay guide; Nursing agency published rate sheets (HealthcareLink, Healthcare Australia); State-health bank and agency cap schedules; Nurses Award 2020 (Fair Work Commission). Real rates vary by individual contract and market conditions. Sessional doesn't guarantee any specific rate and your individual outcome depends on your negotiation and the organizations you work with.
Agency RN base rates sit $45 to $75/hr; specialised (ICU, ED, theatre, mental health) $55 to $90/hr; agency-loaded $90 to $140/hr on nights, weekends, and remote shifts. Nurse Practitioners bill $100 to $160/hr through agencies (anecdotal). Nurses Award 2020 loads Saturday +50%, Sunday +75%, public holidays +150%. Remote packages (CQ Nurse and similar) commonly price all-in at $70 to $120/hr with travel and accommodation on top.
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Last revised 24 April 2026
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