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Art Therapist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an art therapist is $78,000 per annum, before tax, up $16,600 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay varies more by employer than by the work itself: public hospitals and health services apply their own enterprise agreements, while community organisations, schools and private practice set their own rates.
- Fixed-term contracts are common in grant-funded programs, so it is worth checking whether a role is ongoing before comparing it with hospital work.
- In private practice, earnings depend on how many clients you can carry and what they or their funding scheme will pay.
The median salary rose by $16,600 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than art therapist
The largest typical pay rise is $21,500 a year, moving into Occupational Therapist.
- Occupational Therapist+$21,500/yr
- Disability Support Worker+$13,600/yr
- Play Therapist+$5,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher art therapist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time art therapist salary is $78,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Patient care and support and Clinical assessment and treatment tend to command a premium over general art therapist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Occupational Therapist pays a typical $21,500 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Art Therapist salary questions
How much do art therapists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an art therapist is $78,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is art therapist pay rising or falling?
The median art therapist salary is up $16,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than art therapist?
Occupational Therapist pays a typical $21,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to art therapist.
Related salaries
- Occupational Therapist salary
- Play Therapist salary
- Disability Support Worker salary
- Aged Care Worker salary
- Naturopath salary
- Chinese Medicine Practitioner salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.